The Pros And Cons Of Banning Critical Race Theory

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Glenn Youngkin was sworn into office as governor of Virginia on January 15th, 2022, with the intention of prohibiting the teachings of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other “divisive concepts” on his first day in office. I will give it to him - he followed through with it. Executive Order One, signed by Governor Youngkin, announced that public schools were no longer allowed to discuss topics that “divided” children and were harmful. Given how adamant he has been to ban CRT from being taught in schools, one would believe that Governor Youngkin had strong evidence to back up his claims. However, Youngkin struggles with specifying his exact reasoning for banning Critical Race Theory. Many suspect it is to protect against racism towards white people, …show more content…

CRT supporters use facts and evidence, such as statistics from the workplace and schools, to explain why CRT is needed in school systems today. CRT opposition believes that it can be harmful and divisive; the truth of CRT is that it is an essential tool for understanding and addressing systemic racism in American society. When reviewing the data regarding fundamental aspects of life such as education, healthcare, and employment, it is clear that people of color are severely worse off than white people. As unfortunate as it is, even an ethnic-sounding name, as opposed to a white-sounding name, can cause an employer to hire one over another. One of the sources I dove into was David Bell’s, “Who’s Afraid of Critical Race Theory”. David Bell was a founding father of CRT and has contributed to helping it get taught in schools today. In one of his chapters, he states that the opposition to CRT is rooted in a desire to protect the interests of those who benefit from the current system of privilege and power. I agree with his statements because those who oppose CRT appear to be worried about uncovering the uncomfortable truths about racism. They believe that CRT is used as a political and divisive tool to attack white people, and it isn’t that at all! CRT examines how race intersects with power and privilege in society, with the ultimate goal of creating a more just and equitable society. It is not a belief system or ideology, but an analytical tool for understanding the systemic advantages that white people have historically had over people of color, and for challenging the systems of power that perpetuate inequality. CRT is a phenomenal mechanism for helping students navigate the real world. CRT drives a fundamental understanding of the world and encourages students to think critically about the society they live in and analyze the ways in which power,