Critical Race Theory: No Thanks
By: Annie J
Tags: Race, Racism, BlackLivesMatter, Critical Thinking, Social Justice

Signed, a black person

In 2020, 100 Confederate Symbols were removed in the U.S

70 Cities painted “BLM” murals on their streets

243 police reform bills were signed

There exist countless magazines, products, television, movies, music, art, and fashion, all dedicated to celebrating and uplifting black people/culture.

Literally, every person and company has been yelling “Yes, Black Lives Matter” for the last couple or years and yet, from all appearances, no one, black or otherwise, is any happier for it.

In fact, as I write this, Olympic hammer thrower “Gwen Berry” is under fire for turning her back to the U.S Flag during the national anthem at her event. Explained differently, the U.S system supported and sponsored a black woman’s athletic dream; that same country then chose her to represent that country at the biggest and most honorable international show of athleticism, the Olympics. Yet, as this black woman was on stage, representing her country and enjoying a host of privileges that most people, regardless of race, will never experience, she chose to turn her back during the national anthem.

Instead of using that opportunity to show pride and gratitude to the country that has supported her at every turn, instead of being an inspiration to the little girls who were watching, instead of showing comrade with her fellow countrymen, she chose to use her moment for clout and to make national headlines by shunning the very nation that supports her right to do so. You can’t make up this kind of irony.

With Monuments, murals, and police reform becoming old news, the powers that be have quickly crafted a new shiny political toy to fight over: “Critical Race Theory” .

According to AP News, Critical Race Theory “centers on that idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society”.

First, why is so surprising or alarming that systems within a country tend to largely benefit the overwhelming majority of that country? Imagine if me and a few black friends moved to Mexico and settled within a city. Within a few generations, our population and presence within that country have grown to represent a minority. All of a sudden, we’re looking around wondering why the Mexican culture/government/economy seems to be set up for Mexicans traditions and culture, and not my black American culture. See how absurd that sounds? Here’s a news flash for you: the ruling majority will always be favored, regardless of the country.

If you visit Norway, you’ll notice that the systems and cultures are set up to benefit…Norwegians.

If you visit Dubai, you’ll notice that the systems and cultures are set up to benefit…the people of Dubai.

Why do we stop the conversation with race?The world is also systemically biased towards people with handicaps, people with learning disorders, left handed people, people in the LGBT community, people who’d rather ride horses, and so on and so on. Why? Because those groups are in the minority and their influence on the systems around them isn’t as big as the majority. That’s how the world works.

As an ever-learning world citizen who values the importance of open, honest dialogues about tough topics, I’m always 100% supportive of critically examining social, economic, political issues in our society. However, that’s not what appears to be happening here. CRT seems to be an attempt by the half the country, to inject yet another source of division and hatred into our society. What I can’t seem to understand is exactly why we’d want to teach children that their country and world are inherently racist, any future plans they have will likely be derailed by these poisonous systemic systems, and all hope should be immediately set aside. What purpose does that serve? Who does that help? Does that empower children to approach the world with a hopeful outlook that they can survive? How does CRT prepare children to succeed in the real world? It’s not enough that most adults are suffering from depression, anxiety and suicide at alarming rates…now we’d like to subject our children to our toxic mindsets. It’d be one thing if CRT included an answer to how to fix all of the issues it sees as “systemic”. Quantitatively, how do we fix what CRT claims is broken? What are the exact we must take in order to feel our country is back on track and absolved of past atrocities? But it doesn’t address any of that….it simply tells children the world is a cold slice of hell and then sends them to their next class.

Enough is enough. I’m black and I do not support the trending “Critical Race Theory” political tool.

To be clear, I do support teaching the irrefutable facts. This includes the documented, historical facts, which include the evolution and impact of slavery in this country. That also includes the story of Americans (white and black ) who fought and died to end slavery, and the incredible triumphs we’ve made to date; key emphasis on triumphs we’ve made to date. To be comprehensive in the truth, every story of our history should be met with an equivalent story on the progress we’ve made in 2021.

Instead of teaching children that the world is their enemy, teach them that the world is full of opportunities, and that through hard work, their dreams can come true, just like they did for Gwen Berry. That’s the message I received as a child and I can 100% attest that it worked. My ancestors endured atrocities in this country that I could never have survived. Yet, they instilled in me a sense of hope for the future, and a responsibility to make something of myself. They didn’t destroy my dreams with bitterness and anger.

“Children need hope”