Critical Race Theory

As the battle over Critical Race Theory (CRT) is heating up around the country, we believe that a sober approach to the subject is needed. While encouraging white children to be ashamed of themselves for the historical past is not good, neither is government action dictating what a teacher will or will not teach. Government power might seem like a panacea at the moment, but it will end up causing more harm than good. As usual, the best answers come from the local level. Individual parents, grandparents, and guardians must get involved in the lives and education of our children. CRT is a large body of academic work that belongs at the university level. Children simply do not have the life experience or emotional maturity to deal with some of these issues. The concept of intersectionality is a good example. Interesting academic topic, but not appropriate for children. How can a child grasp the concept of social or political power as applied to them and their family?

By all means, we must teach age-appropriate, accurate history with all its beautiful and horrific aspects. How that history applies to an individual child, their families, and their friends, is a matter best left to the child’s family, place of worship, and extended community. The local public school cannot become a place of political activism, social engineering, and theological indoctrination. If we are to flourish as local communities, this is an issue that must be resolved. We at OAKNM urge a focus on the ultimate goal: the well-being of students. Like this article suggests, there seems to be a growing entrenchment on both sides. After essentially a lost year in education, let’s direct resources, time, and energy to the most important tasks at hand, instead of turning schools into hubs of political activism.