Last week, I introduced what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is and why such opposition has developed against it.
What is CRT?
Practitioners of CRT define it as a progressive legal movement that seeks to transform the relationship among race, racism, and power. It seeks to transform institutions rather than merely individuals.
CRT has multiple applications in academic fields
CRT encompasses the study of relationships in many ways. While CRT arose in educating law students, CRT has spread to many other academic disciplines like ethnic studies, sociology, theology, and especially education. CRT’s methods help educators better understand issues surrounding school discipline, affirmative action, testing, curriculum choices, etc.
In Women’s Studies, CRT theorists look at intersectionality, where a woman sits at the intersection to areas of disprivilege, like gender and race, an African American woman, for example. In philosophy, the CRT experts consider viewpoint discrimination. For example, they look at whether the “Western viewpoint” has an intrinsic white bias in its values, and means of reasoning.
The Basic Tenets of CRT
Racism is ordinary, not aberrational. This means that because American society does not collectively acknowledge racism, challenging racism becomes very difficult. People of color experience racism on a daily basis, but whites do not recognize it. If we insist that each person gets exactly the same treatment, only the most outrageous examples stand out. The day-to-day operation of systemic racism can be difficult to recognize and understand.
We can liken this to the question, does a fish understand it lives in water?
Do you think that racism is ordinary?
If you identify as white, how do you know for certain?
Interest Convergence, or material determinism, recognizes that the current systemic racism benefits certain groups. For example, elite whites benefit from racism materially, and the white middle class benefits psychically, by being part of the dominant class. Consequently, neither of these dominant groups encounter motivation to make a systemic change by eradicating racism, unless it benefits them materially.
How do the benefits of racial privilege get equalized in your opinion?
Social Construction maintains that social understandings of concepts like race have arisen from the beliefs of society. Social construction has no basis in genetics or biological makeup. Racial characteristics, often becoming a source of derision, have nothing to do with intelligence, personality, or moral behavior.
Do you think people of color are racially profiled — automatically suspected of wrong or criminal behavior because of their racial characteristics or ethnic/religious dress?
Differential racialization occurs when the dominant society treats a racial group differently at various times based on the labor needs. For example, Japanese agricultural workers, once in high demand, fell into disfavor during WWII. The US Government relocated many Japanese-American citizens to war relocation camps due to the war with Japan.
Can you think of other examples of when a race or group has been treated worse given a certain time period?
The unique voice of people of color — African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian people — can inform and teach white people about the effects of racism. Many white people do not understand issues experienced by people of color because of their experience as members of the dominant group.
As a woman, and as a lesbian, I read and understand society differently than straight white men. Much of the norms and cultures of society are formed to enable white male patriarchy, and men don’t always understand how this happens. Conversely, as a white person who enjoys automatic white privilege, I don’t always understand how social norms and customs work to keep me in power and work against people of color.
If you are white, have you ever been followed by retail store personnel based on how you look?
If you are a person of color, have you ever been followed by retail store personnel based on how you look?
Blessings on your journey of discovering racial privilege.
