Letter: CRT doesn’t belong in public schools

Professor Sheila Kennedy’s piece on Critical Race Theory is certainly appealing and intended to be so [“Sheila Kennedy: Uninformed frenzy over critical race theory is all politics,” July 9.] She did an awesome job of masking the whole truth with some truth! (But there are some ludicrous statements, too.)

First, let’s find common ground. I’ll bet almost all Americans want American history instruction to be “more accurate” and include all significant events that are good, bad and in between. And Kennedy’s illustration of the World War II Black serviceman makes a good point about racism, but many things have changed for the better since that time.

But this needs to be said: CRT is much more than “examining cultural assumptions” and teaching accurate history. The fact is, various elements of CRT are being taught in thousands of classrooms nationwide and there is an absolute push by our educational and government elites to teach this ideology to young students. How dare these “hysterical” and “uninformed” parents attend school board meetings and have their say?

Let’s just tell the truth. CRT is a Marxist ideology whose intended conclusion is the overthrow of American institutions, using race as the driving force in place of “class” conflict. It teaches there must be division; there must be people groups; you are defined by race, not by your individuality; whites are privileged and non-whites are oppressed and victimized; America was built on racism and still is racist.

Now, CRT may not be taught that blatantly in the classroom (although in many classrooms, it is), but, the goal is there—and it’s alive and active. Parents of all colors now see this. Who really wants their kids and students to be indoctrinated with such thinking? Can we please stop the cultural/social engineering in public schools and actually teach what’s needed?

America is like most human beings. We are good but we have made mistakes and we go about fixing those mistakes. CRT’s premise of examining America’s past injustices is valid, but it is a radical Marxist political ideology. It does not belong in public school classrooms.

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Joel Kartholl