At this point, there is plenty of evidence that critical race theory, or closely associated tenets, is being taught in public schools across the country. Most parents instinctually know that this ideology — which holds that America’s institutions, and the people who allegedly benefited from them (i.e., white people), are irredeemably and systemically racist — is toxic and untrue. But a closer look at how CRT is applied in the classroom proves parents should not just be concerned about CRT — they should fear it.
In Santa Barbara, California, parents alleged that public schools forced their children to take “ethnic studies” courses as a condition of graduating and refused to let parents see the curriculum. In these courses, students were taught that all white people are racist, leading one student to contemplate suicide because he felt guilty for not being able to speak Spanish, according to investigative reporter Luke Rosiak.
The school district also awarded millions of dollars to leftist activist groups that helped develop the schools’ curricula. One of these groups, Just Communities, which received $1 million in grants from Santa Barbara, was part of a now-defunct parent organization called NCCJ, known for its discriminatory trainings. During one event hosted by NCCJ, for example, students were separated by race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and their peers were instructed to “call out every slur and stereotype they know about them,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. NCCJ staff members also participated in this exercise, insulting Asian students for having “small penises,” calling black students “porch monkeys,” and ordering Hispanics to clean up after the others.
These same tactics are being used by the Santa Barbara school district, parents alleged. One mother, Theresa Petino, said she sent her middle schooler to a Just Communities program that had been sponsored by the school district, only to discover that her child had been taught that Latinos and blacks will have a hard time ever finding success in the United States. Petino’s son came home ”very upset,” she said, and when she called a Just Communities teacher to find out what happened, the teacher allegedly responded by saying her son was a “disgrace to his family.”
Only after parental backlash did the Santa Barbara school district agree not to renew its contract with Just Communities. However, parents are still unable to view the classroom materials provided by Just Communities, which means they can’t be sure what exactly this leftist organization was teaching their children. But given the group’s track record, it is safe to assume that racialism was at the core.
At least now we know this is happening. But parents must remain vigilant. The goal of CRT is to reduce a person’s worth to his or her skin color and replace our institutions with a hierarchy of privilege in which those “worth the least” receive the most and vice versa. It is blatant racism, and it is almost certainly in a classroom near you.