Photo courtesy of Creative Commons//@knittymarie

Sami Beason

What are we arguing about? What are we debating? Critical Race theory is pivotal and a real step towards equality in this country. 

 For those that don’t know, critical race theory or CRT is known as the examination of how systems created, like housing, labor and criminal law, have laws and regulations that produce different outcomes due to race. This practice takes into account the historical prejudice that has been in the United States since the introduction of race. 

However, there are certain parties propagating that learning CRT would demonize the generation of white people now and thus only be inefficient, causing more cultural divide. The decision affects the younger generation in education today. CRT is banned in multiple states along with Florida, with Gov. Ron Desantis’s encouragement. There is a well-known saying that “history repeats itself” and that’s exactly why I would have to disagree with said parties and advocate that the education of CRT is crucial.

As a Black person attending a predominantly white institution, or a PWI, I am tired of being the teacher and the example. There are many occurrences that happen with my fellow classmates where I educate them on historical events and instances that happened in U.S history, particularly about black culture.

Teaching CRT early on would relieve the burden that all people of color feel in having to teach people right and wrong, or explain a history that’s already at everyone’s fingertips if they just look.

Morgan Shelton, an RA for FSC and member of Allies, had some opinions about how the ban on CRT would affect the States.

“My opinion is that so much of US history is founded on the backs of people of color,” Shelton said. “If we as Americans don’t learn about how people of color are treated in this country and learn to empathize with said groups then we will never grow.” 

There is a reality of living in the United States with the systems in place that POCs understand due to the learned history of this country and it is regarded in our everyday lives. Our parents, community and non-mainstream history teach us these lessons because our classrooms won’t. 

Critical race theory demonizes no one. It just examines the truth. It examines the hardships and the inequality, particularly when dealing with race. 

It shouldn’t be in college, in an interpersonal communication class, that someone who happens to benefit from the systems in place begins to realize the depth of prejudice and inequality for the first time.

 With the introduction of CRT earlier in education, young people can start understanding, thinking and reacting to inequality. There is a select number of courses that examine these topics at a college level. Most of them are not required or there is an alternative course to fulfill the credit instead.  

The opposition of the introduction of this in classrooms states that teaching CRT leads to new ideologies rather than the facts. Though overall topics of history are taught by schools, it negates the fundamental details and the real consequences that we are dealing with today.

“As a POC in the U.S. I would appreciate it if [everyone was] educated about the history of people of color so there is not a blatant ignorance when interacting with them,” Shelton said. 

This shouldn’t be a debate or an argument. Give students all the facts. Fill in those gaps. 

Explain the systems in place that are causing the issues we are having today. Anything short would be an injustice to a supposed growing America. 

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