Conservatives See Critical Race Theory in Anti-Racist School and Want it Ended from Kansas | KCUR 89.3

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WICHITA, Kansas – Lessons about racism and discrimination are part of what Kansas kids learn in school – from songs in kindergarten to high school lectures on Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, the landmark decision of the Supreme Court which declared racial segregation unconstitutional.

But a raging debate over these courses in public schools is likely to dominate discussions in the Kansas legislature over the coming year.

Controversy over critical race theory – the idea that slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic racism are central to understanding American history – quickly became a battleground in the ongoing cultural wars in the country.

“We see people uncomfortable with particular viewpoints, stories or narratives suggesting that no one should have access to those stories, viewpoints or narratives,” said Nora Pelizzari, spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Censorship. “And it’s very dangerous, and it’s very anti-American.”

Critics say public schools echo liberal talking points in a way that breeds white guilt and accelerates racial conflict.

Some parents in the Shawnee Mission school district near Kansas City recently protested a staff training program called Deep Equity, which they say is rooted in the principles of Critical Race Theory.

“This is 100% indoctrination of youth – dividing students into oppressed and oppressors,” said Amy Thomas, a parent of the Shawnee Mission who testified before a special legislative committee on education this this month. “This training introduces race into every issue, driving a wedge between whites and all people of color.”

Shawnee Mission officials said the program helps teachers better understand cultural differences and connect with students.

Other parents and lawmakers have referred to documents from Lawrence Public Schools regarding “anti-racist conversations with families.”

And they decried the Wichita District educational resources that featured material gleaned from the Black Lives Matter movement and Project 1619, a New York Times project considered by some conservatives to define America only by the worst in its racist history. These documents have since been removed from the Wichita District website.

“I reject and categorically deny, from the outset, any principle that says my sons should be judged solely on the color of their skin and not on the content of their character,” said Republican Representative Patrick Penn, who is black. . the special education committee. “This is the problem I have with the CRT. That’s the problem Kansas should have with CRT, and shame on anyone who doesn’t.

State education officials consistently emphasize the technical definition of Critical Race Theory – an advanced academic framework that examines how racism is embedded in societal and cultural structures. They explain that it is taught at the university level, usually in postgraduate programs or law schools, and is not part of the Kansas K-12 standards or assessments.

“You can’t just say, ‘Oh my God, they mentioned race, so it must be CRT.’ No, you really have to think about it, ”said Ann Mah, a member of the Kansas Board of Education. “The CRT is a college-level study of institutional racism in the legal system. … And we don’t teach it.

But that didn’t end the argument.

Rep. Kristey Williams, a Republican from Augusta who chairs the Special Committee on Education, said lawmakers “have heard this definition over and over again” and are not buying it.

“We’re a little tired of this academic definition,” Williams told Mah. “This does not mean that the CRT app is not being used (in schools). ”

Pelizzari, with the Censorship Advocacy Group, said policymakers may disagree about American history and race, but that doesn’t mean schools should ignore it.

“Students learn to be critical and analytical, and learn to develop their own beliefs and opinions,” she said. “Doing this in an educational setting seems like the best place to do it. ”

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

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