Critical Race Theory (hereafter CRT) is “a practice of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that emerged in the legal academy and spread to other fields of scholarship … It critiques how the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers. CRT also recognizes that race intersects with other identities, including sexuality, gender identity, and others” (George, 2021). In simple terms:
CRT is a complex, academic perspective on race and racism.
CRT stipulates that, regardless of whether “race” has a biological basis, or is defined consistently across cultures, someone’s perceived racial category impacts their life.
Some of these impacts result in consistent patterns of disadvantages experienced by people in some racial groups.
These patterns of disadvantage interact with other aspects of identity. (Remember “intersectionality”?)
These patterns are not simply the result of individual prejudice.
For example, Hispanic women, on average, have long made less than White, non-Hispanic men. (See https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/data/earnings/median-annual-sex-race-hispanic-ethnicity.) Even if we could somehow make everyone blind to ethnicity and gender, Hispanic women would still, on average, continue to make less, because that blindness wouldn’t change the jobs they have, their current education level, where they live, etc.
But the discussion of what CRT theorists argue is only part of the understanding of CRT. There are vast differences in the way CRT is represented by various groups, as well. This assignment is intended to help you consider how different groups of people portray CRT and why they might do so.
Instructions:
Read the following articles:
Economou, E. (2022, March 12). Critical race theory exposed in detail in new documentary, “Whose children are they?” Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/critical-race-theory-documentary-children
Mungo, M. (2021, May 26). The real problem with Critical Race Theory. The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/555351-the-real-problem-with-critical-race-theory/
Wallace, L. R. (2021, June 11). The real Critical Race Theory. [Audio podcast episode]. On the Media. WNYC Studios. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/critical-race-theory-real-critical-race-theory-on-the-media
Write a paragraph for each article 1) describing how Critical Race Theory is framed in that article, and 2) speculating on the target audience for that article. (Approximately 500 words total excluding references should be enough.)
Be sure to cite your sources in the text in APA format and include a references page at the end of your essay that includes, at a minimum, the three articles. You may also use the required or recommended resources from this week.
NOTE: the goal is not to evaluate CRT or provide an opinion as to its validity as an academic paradigm. Rather, we’re just trying to figure out how other folks describe it!
George, J. (2021, Jan. 11). A lesson on Critical Race Theory. American Bar Association. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/civil-rights-reimagining-policing/a-lesson-on-critical-race-theory/
Women’s Bureau. (2020). Median annual earnings by sex, race and Hispanic ethnicity. United States Department of Labor. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/data/earnings/median-annual-sex-race-hispanic-ethnicity
Turnitin will be used to evaluate this assignment prior to grading. Please review the syllabus for more information about the use of Turnitin in this course.