LibGuides: We Need To Talk : (CRT) Critical Race Theory

What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)?

(photo credit: Zinn Ed Project)

Critical Race Theory, or CRT, is an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society — from education and housing to employment and healthcare. Critical Race Theory recognizes that racism is more than the result of individual bias and prejudice. It is embedded in laws, policies and institutions that uphold and reproduce racial inequalities.

According to CRT, societal issues like Black Americans’ higher mortality rate, outsized exposure to police violence, the school-to-prison pipeline, denial of affordable housing, and the rates of the death of Black women in childbirth are not unrelated anomalies.

(Blurb Credit: Legal Defense Fund)

Why is CRT such a controversial issue?

The term “critical race theory” has been politicized a bit from its original context, which in short, calls for including all of the facts in telling America's origin story, including the ones that it may not be so proud of to allow historians to contextualize the factual and all encompassing picture! This panel will get into the more scholarly explanation of its origins, how it has been skewed to becoming a "hot button" issue, and how you can further explore this topic for yourself.

Other Experts Weigh In

Popular Sources

What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?
Critical race theory is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The core idea is that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.

Why has it become such a hot button topic? Why do you want to know about CRT?
Why Are States Banning Critical Race Theory (CRT)?
Some parents are worried about their kids learning things in school that they do not have the capacity to address. A college professor who does teach CRT as one of the many theoretical frameworks in her classroom, discusses how students are alarmed by how little they have learned about inequality. They are upset at their schools, teachers, and even their parents. This is part of the reason that CRT is so complicated to discuss. Each stakeholder's lens of its relevance and importance are very different depending on what and how it should be applied moving forward.
These parents questioned critical race theory and DEI programs in public schools. They interviewed experts and here's what they found.
Some Georgia parents had concerns about critical race theory and DEI programs in public schools. They went on a fact-finding journey and interviewed experts in 3 different educational capacities, which are similar to our panel today, and you can delve deeper into when or if you want to learn more beyond this panel.

Social & Historical Context Is Key when Breaking Down Academic Theories

Race Correction and the X-Ray Machine — The Controversy over Increased Radiation Doses for Black Americans in 1968
Beliefs about bodily differences have long shaped medical research, diagnosis, and therapeutics. Racist theories motivated unethical experiments on Black Americans. Physicians have used race-specific standards to interpret pulmonary function tests. Psychologists used race-specific norms to interpret neuropsychological tests of retired football players who had had concussions. They have exhibited bias in the assessment and management of pain. It’s important to understand the origins of these practices, rationales, their possible harms, and related controversies.
"This is civil disobedience. I’ll continue.”: the racialization of school board meeting rules
The advocacy of minoritized communities has long been a lever for educational justice in many places throughout the globe, propelling a range of equity-oriented education policies. This advocacy, even when it leads to sweeping equity policies, often begins in local-level arenas, such as school board meetings. These meetings are spaces of possibility in which minoritized communities can exert control over policymaking; however, they are also spaces of formal and informal rules can further entrench power hierarchies between the community and board members. In many large and urban school districts, school board members are disproportionately white even when these districts are populated largely by students of color. Thus, while communities use school board meetings as spaces to advocate for policies, board meeting rules can work in ways that may offset this advocacy.
Latina college students’ experiences in STEM at Hispanic-Serving Institutions: framed within Latino critical race theory
In the last 20 years, Latina undergraduate college students have
increased their enrollment and degree attainment. However, in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines Latinas
remain highly underrepresented. The study aims to gain more insight
into the roles that peers, faculty, and family play in Latina students’ persistence in STEM fields at two selected Hispanic-Serving Institutions
(HSIs). Using Latino Critical Race Theory, Latinas reflected on their experiences in male-dominated STEM disciplines.

Selections from the Stacks

On Critical Race Theory : Why It Matters and Why You Should Care by Victor Ray
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 0593446453
Publication Date: New York : Random House 2022
Critical Race Theory in Education by Adrienne D. Dixson (Editor); Celia K. Rousseau Anderson (Editor); Jamel K. Donnor (Editor)
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 9781315709796
Publication Date: 2016-08-25
Critical Race Theory by Kimberle Crenshaw; Neil Gotanda; Garry Peller; Kendall Thomas (Editor)
ISBN: 9781565842717
Publication Date: 1996-05-01

Social Media Snippets

Example Inventory of Personal Ancestral Experience

Delving Into Our Own History
You can use the questions on this worksheet to guide you or your family's history, and start digging to some truths you may have not been aware of. That is the work of CRT scholars everywhere! This example is filled in as a guide and was provided by Christine Clark, one of our panelists!

We Need To Talk : (CRT) Critical Race Theory

Our Panelists