Arielle Fischer, features editor
José Reyes, asst. features editor
“Multiculturalism,” “systemic racism,” “woke,” “white privilege,” “social justice” and “equity” are some of the words set to be banned in public school districts by the Wisconsin legislature, according to Forbes magazine writer Peter Greene. Across the United States, conservative governments have threatened to restrict the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) and all discussions of systemic racism within public and private schools.
In several states, such as Tennessee and Texas, measures are being taken by parents and lawmakers to limit schools from teaching certain topics or novels that suggest a history of racism and white privilege in the US, according to the Tennessean newspaper. One instance involves the banning of the graphic novel “Maus.” As Widewalls magazine reported, lawmakers believe the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, which centers on the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust, had “unnecessary use of profanity and nudity and its depiction of violence and suicide,” despite its teaching in thousands of classrooms all across America.
Some Berry professors shared their viewpoints on the potential ban of critical race theory and education of racism in United States schools. Jim Watkins, an associate professor of english, rhetoric and writing spoke on what critical race theory is and how keeping it in classrooms is crucial.
“There’s a specific meaning of critical race theory as a legal concept, looking at the legal side of institutionalized racism,” Watkins said. “I believe CRT has become more of a catchphrase for conservatives who feel there is an anti-American narrative implicit in current educational trends that emphasize the history of American racism. That perception that students are being turned against America or made to feel bad about themselves comes from a longstanding desire of white Americans to not talk about racial inequality.”
Watkins said the threat to ban CRT from schools stems largely out of fear and bringing negativity to light. According to Watkins, people are afraid that today, history is taught in a way that exposes the “legacies of inequality” in America. Watkins mentioned some conservatives find it offensive that you can’t separate the idea of America from its history of racism. Watkins said when conservative legislators talk about banning critical race theory, they are saying ‘can we understand America without including racism?’ However, this undermines the notion that some Americans have had more freedom than others throughout history.
“Paradoxically, America’s strong investment in freedom and equality contributed to a greater degree of racism,” Watkins said. “If you don’t think there’s a greater degree of racism, why did we have slavery longer than England? Why did we have race laws like Jim Crow Laws in southern states that other developed nations didn’t have? It’s because we put so much emphasis on freedom and equality, but the very contradictions of those principles in the reality of our racism caused many people to not want to look at the problem itself. The contradiction between the lived reality and the expressed idea was so great, that the best way to deal with racism was to ignore it.”
Watkins emphasized there is value in acknowledging the insights of Black writers because they not only grant a first-hand account of race and intersectionality but also discuss humanity itself. He commented that racism is not about one person or one law, but about a system that depicts a group of people in a demeaning way, and people must find a way to make that system visible.
According to Watkins, the banning of critical race studies is an insult to the professionalism of teachers that politicians decide what they teach or do not teach. He said that teachers will not be able to teach US history honestly and accurately, leaving students with a poor framework of racism and its significance in America, thus leading to more racism.
“I’ve always been exposed to race theory because I grew up in the Jim Crow South,” Watkins said. “I was exposed all along to a rigidly divided society along racial lines. It wasn’t until I got into graduate school that I started reading African American writers who helped me make sense of what I grew up in. All of us are born into a world of messages that say women are inferior to men or Black people are inferior to white but understanding critical race theory helped me see the wrongfulness in the cultural narratives I grew up ingesting. It helped me be a better human being and become less tied down to the prejudices my society gave me.”
Brian Carroll, professor, and chair of communication at Berry College, explained the significance of critical race theory in relation to everyday life.
“As I understand it, still a student of it, critical race theory seeks to offer an explanation for the injustices and even the oppression that we find in contemporary life in systemic problems,” Carroll stated.
Carroll defined systemic racism, in this sense, as the remnants of past policies that oppressed people of color.
Carroll stated that critical race theory being banned in classrooms narrows down to the weaponization of the First Amendment.
“So, most of us believe that we need the First Amendment but only for the things we want to say,” Carroll said. “We are less enthusiastic when we are confronted with the fact that the First Amendment can only mean anything when it’s freedom for the thought that we hate. We don’t need the First Amendment for non-offensive speech. The only reason you would have a constitutional guarantee of protection is for speech that people don’t like that causes discomfort, that causes unrest.”
Carroll said that there is a disconnect in what Americans believe the First Amendment is meant to protect versus what it should be protecting.
“So, notice that in both Florida and Texas you have laws that on one hand seek to ban teachers from talking about race and critical race theory but in that same state is another law that seeks to force social media platforms to keep open the accounts of politicians who spread misinformation, disinformation and falsehood also at weaponized rates,” Carroll said.
For Carroll, in banning CRT at the college and university level, legislators limit the academic freedom of institutions for its students. Carroll noted that Berry, as a private institution, is not subject to the banning of critical race theory that is occurring in other states. Further, Carroll explained that depending on the statute, of the banning of critical race theory, universities and colleges would be the ones to dismiss professors or teachers who engage with the theory.
“Proponents of bans on critical race theory are afraid of critical race theory doing to their kids exactly what FOX News has done to them,” Carroll said.
Further, Carroll explained the realities of banning CRT and the correlation they have to historical events and ideologies.
“I mean to ban critical race theory in my view is racist in and of itself, because critical race theory is just a theory. It’s not empirical. It is an attempt to explain our reality, our world and it’s an attempt to explain it that accounts for those toxic ideologies of the past. So, to ban the correction is to perpetuate the problems of those ideologies and practices going back to even before the establishment of the United States, which is to say English settlers that brought with them the slave trade. So, it’s ironic in a way, in a terrible way.”
Tina Bucher, associate professor and chair of the english, rhetoric and writing department said that the banning of CRT is unethical and would hold many repercussions.
“Critical race theory is a term primarily studied in law, but it examines how race and racism have been embedded into our system of justice,” Bucher said. “For me, it has to do with the concept that racism is not just something that individuals do, but it is policies and practices that have been baked into our system and that prolongate racist practices in our culture.”
According to Bucher, critical race theory is being banned in school because people do not understand what it is and use it as a catchphrase for the “culture wars.”
“I think at the base of why people are worried about critical race theory is they’re afraid,” Bucher claimed. “Fear drives decisions, and there’s a misunderstanding that teaching about racism causes white people to feel guilty, bad about themselves or discriminated against. It’s a damaging understanding of what needs to be done in schools to teach about racist practices and ideas.”
Bucher said it is important to introduce children to the concepts of racism and systemic practices because they are aware that people are treated differently than they are, even at a young age. According to Bucher, if America wishes to live up to the ideals it strives towards, people must understand not only the past but the present and how race and racism play central roles.
“If we did not teach about these concepts, progress would be hindered,” Bucher said. “There wouldn’t be any movement toward attempting to fulfill the admirable goals the country says it’s based on.”
Bucher mentioned that if people wish to understand the world and how it has been impacted by systemic racism, they must look at systemic racism’s presence in the past. Bucher commented that she examines the presence through literature. According to Bucher, in this way, reading African American literature helps her see the hold systemic racism has had on populations for years and how it has played a central role in society.
Bucher said there are distinct ways in which students are impacted by critical race studies in schools.
“My suspicion is that if a student of color encounters critical race theory or the notion of systemic racism being taught in a productive way, I would hope they have a moment of feeling seen in a way they aren’t always seen,” Bucher said. “For white students, I think it will be more a struggle to see ‘how does this impact me.’ Ultimately, I think they’re going to be better thinkers, better citizens and better people for understanding.”
Bucher said that critical race studies and racism should be taught in a way that meets students where they are but does not let go of what needs to be challenged. As Bucher relayed, in a classroom, students are diverse in prior knowledge and socioeconomic differences that have either enabled them to see or not see inequalities in society. Bucher suggested that, as a white professor teaching about these issues, one must teach with humility and try to understand where each person comes from in their thoughts, because as a professor, one might have knowledge and expertise to share, but they may not have the lived experience.
As the previously mentioned professors and journalists concur, critical race theory has become one of the most controversial topics in American society. From book banning, to cancel culture, to the exposure of systemic racism, the professors agree CRT is now one of the most widespread arguments in modern society. Nevertheless, it is up to legislatures and education systems to keep the conversation going and the knowledge of systemic racism prevalent and recognized in America.