Christian Bateman
//Why banning critical race theory threatens education.//
In January 2021, Virginia’s self-proclaimed “education governor,” Glenn Youngkin, began his first term by signing a series of short-sighted education-related executive orders. While a number of these deserve criticism––especially his premature lifting of the state’s mask mandates in schools––Youngkin’s ban on critical race theory in classrooms is most egregious. Ultimately, this ban prevents educators from teaching the painful history of Blacks in America.
The study of critical race theory plays an essential role in understanding our country’s past. Critical race theory can be defined as “an academic approach that examines how race and racism function in American institutions.” Fundamental to critical race theory is the idea that race is a human construct designed to exploit people of color. Another important element of critical race theory is its acknowledgment of Black experiences. It argues that Blacks in America encounter racism on both a personal and institutional level in their daily lives. UCLA law professor Kimberlé Williams Krenshaw is generally credited with the creation of the analytical framework.
While the right tends to portray critical race theory as a fringe concept promoted by the far-left, it is far from radical. In fact, the idea that race emerged as a social construct in the late 18th century is well documented. In 1750, the Swedish botanist and physician Carl Lanaus grouped people into five racial categories. Notably, he deemed white Europeans “hopeful,” described Africans as “calm and lazy,” and assigned a number of other traits (mostly negative) to Native Americans and Asians. White Europeans used Lanaus’ ideology to justify the African Slave Trade, the maintenance of slavery in the United States, the implementation of Black Codes and Jim Crow policies, and the economic and social inequities that continue to plague Black people today. Critical race theory illuminates how racial biases became deeply ingrained into government policy and into the United States’ legal system.
Ultimately, Youngkin’s proposal will bar educators from teaching about race in a way that calls for reflection and critical thinking. In defense of his executive order, Youngkin explained that he sought to avoid the teaching of “divisive concepts” in schools, adding, “We are not going to teach the children to view everything through a lens of race.” It is worth noting that not all Virginia curricula include critical race theory, something which may be problematic within itself. Nonetheless, by prohibiting the discussion of critical race theory in schools, Youngkin makes it difficult for educators to explain the role that the United States’ legislative and judiciary systems played in maintaining slavery and in creating the racial inequities that persist today. Black people long have been the target of racial terror and discriminatory policies in America and continue to suffer from police brutality, voter suppression, and generational trauma. To ban critical race theory is to prevent students from understanding the “why” behind these disparities.
Teaching students about the role institutions play in the ongoing racial inequities in our nation may prompt them to take action and promote change. It is about time Americans acknowledge the roots of racial inequities. If we are truly taking strides forwards, critical race theory must be taught in classrooms across America.
Throughout his campaign for Virginia Governor, Glenn Youngkin branded himself the “education governor,” promising to crack down on curricula that conservatives branded liberal.