The GOP is making “much ado about nothing “when it comes to Critical Race Theory (CRT). Yes, the country has made some progress, but rooted racism lingers and long-standing disadvantages for people of color continues to be the norm. So naturally the GOP ignores these realities and in order to cause yet another wedge issue for our country, they have reduced the matter to a political stance. CRT should be welcomed as a basis to develop laws and policies that can undo structural inequities and systematic racism. We must continue to build a more equitable future for all people, you know, liberty and justice for ALL.
Where did CRT come from anyway? It was developed in the 1970’s as a follow up to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s; the movement that desegregated schools and helped Black Americans gain equal rights under the law, including the right to vote. Remember the struggle over that? Last March, according to Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank, large shares of Americans say there is at least some discrimination against several groups in the United States, including 80% who say there is a lot or some discrimination against Black people, 76% who say this about Hispanic people , and 70% who see discrimination against Asian people.
The 2020 Presidential Election showed a record turnout among Black voters, and the GOP recognized that they would have to do something to put a stop to that. Several Republican-led states got busy targeting Black voters and began passing the strictest voting laws in decades, including some that take away the powers of the secretary of state, while calling it “voter integrity”. Nevermind that every Secretary of State did their jobs with integrity and due diligence.
So, as to CRT, the GOP cannot stand the truth and has started up with yet another nonfactual wedge issue designed to widen the division in this country even further. The GOP wants to ban CRT, insisting they are encouraging a balanced and “patriotic” education. The problem? These bans do the exact opposite. They deny the truth about our nation’s history, silence dissent, and punish those who speak the truth to counter misrepresented falsehoods.
We must find a way forward through these uncomfortable discussions. Truth matters, and being truthful means we can grow and mature, learning from our past mistakes. The truth creates social bonds and lying and hypocrisy break them. “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell, 1984.
