So I have been looking sharply at CRT (Critical race theory) so based on what I’ve read during the course of a few weeks, I have stumbled upon some rather interesting points of this ideology. For one, how is this not divisive ? There isn’t a problem with teaching actual history, but my interpretation of this is that this seems to teach that one race is at fault for everything. I went to school with kids from all over the world. I had the same opportunities. The only difference was choices I made or didn’t make. I believe The teachings of parents will shape how a child views his peers and his own abilities. I don’t not understand why children should identify other children by their skin color and compare that with their cognitive ability to comprehend and or be successful. I know what struggle is. My father was on drugs, nearly killed my own mother, but those were choices he made, not me. While His history was relevant to me, it was not an indication of my abilities or my future. Nothing wrong with teaching history, but we should also be teaching accountability.
I will not teach my son that he is by default already handicapped or behind the curve because of his skin. I will instead opt for the old school way of thinking. We are all humans with choices and the world is yours should you choose to work hard for it.
what are your thoughts ?
I havent read an actual CRT course. Maybe thats where I should start. I always taught my kids if you want to defend a point of view, you have to understand the opposing point of view. This way you know all the issues and can justify what you believe.
While I have very strong opinions on NOT teaching children to judge anyone based on race, Im not prepared to properly discuss CRT. What I believe is that we all have obsticals to over come in life.... medical, racial, familial, financial, locational, etc. As parents, we need to teach our children how to effectively overcome obsticals while teaching that those obsticals dont define them. We can be proud of ourselves, our accomplishments, and our identity but NEVER at the expense or detriment of others.
CRT is divisive, and it further marginalizes. I grew up in a city that was known for its cultural diversity. So much so there was a yearly International Festival with parade, a Princess, and food. So much good food. In my high school, I was the minority as a light haired, light skinned female. My father had some pretty racist tendencies. He had dark friends, but I wasn’t allowed to date anyone even partially brown or black. He’s now the proud grandfather of my Mulatto daughter. And that was before our familyDNA tests revealed he himself has roots smack in the middle of Africa. People change! My school was rough. There were fights and drugs and guns in lockers. Back then those were meant for the gang wars. Oddly enough, no one would have just shot up the school. I beat some pretty incredible odds to become a female police officer. That said, CRT does something unexplainable to all the success stories. There is a man from one of the other high schools in my city who served in the military, is retiring as a Deputy Sheriff, and running for the mayor of Cleveland. As a black republican! Life is full of choices and what is taught in the home either by example of what TO do or what NOT to do is the determinate. My lily white son from my first marriage and I went to the bookstore. I bought him a book about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. He came running in the kitchen one day screaming, “look at this!” Pointing in his book to a cartoon of a “Whites Only” labeled drinking fountain. He was appalled. He learned a lesson from history that day. I say all this to say miss me with reverse racism with a fancy name. Hatred needs to end, not get spun. I will never let my son think less of himself for things done in the past, not will i teach my daughter she doesn’t have the same potential as any other child. I pray for people’s minds to be opened.