• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

July 9, 2021 Instruction & Curriculum

The American Myth of Justice for All & Critical Race Theory

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Dean

Dean is an educator constantly considering new ways to reimagine education. He is most concerned with creating curriculum that entertains and empowers. Dean is currently pursuing his M.A in Curriculum and Instruction for Social Justice. During his free time, he writes poetry and plays chess.
  • Reimagining Education-Community Not Classroom - July 14, 2021
  • The American Myth of Justice for All & Critical Race Theory - July 9, 2021
  • We Need to Reimagine Education. Is Critical Race Theory the Answer? - July 1, 2021
  • LGBTQ+ Students Need Advocates, Not Tolerance - June 22, 2021
  • Students Are Coming Back to School: How Can We Engage Them Post-Pandemic? - June 17, 2021
  • The Danger of Honors Classes in Our Schools - May 20, 2021
  • Joining or Avoiding the Educator Exodus - May 11, 2021
  • As a Student, I Needed A Culturally Responsive Curriculum; As a Teacher Lets Change That - April 26, 2021

2021 seems to be the year of parent engagement. Parents all over the states are advocating for or against teachers utilizing Critical Race Theory in class. Some parents view Critical Race Theory as a method to offer a more transparent and equitable education. Other parents view Critical Race Theory as problematic, as it may make non-people of color uncomfortable while learning about atrocities committed by their ancestors during times when racism was culturally accepted. 

When tension grew concerning the content of the ELA curriculum taught in Williamson County Schools located in Tennessee, no seat remained at the May school board meeting. Some believe that a book titled “Ruby Bridges Goes to School,” written by the first African American to integrate into New Orleans ' all-white school system, is inappropriate for an elementary school class. 

Instead of viewing this book as a testament to how far we have come as a nation, the Williamson County Chapter of Moms for Liberty rather have it pulled from the curriculum. Protestors cite imagery from the text that depicts an angry white mob antagonizing a six-year-old as she went to school. Some believe that the text does not offer any redemption for the protestors who tried to physically abuse her and were wildly successful at verbally abusing her. 

The American Myth and Critical Race Theory Click To Tweet

There isn’t a nice way to describe the conception, progression, or current racial state of America. It began with slavery, an oppressive system that progressed into systemic racism. To those tired of discussing equity, justice, and progress for people of color, I am too! I so wish that racism, bigotry, and systemic oppression ended in 1863 with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

However, people of color are still disproportionately represented in prison. We are also more likely to receive a harsher sentence than a non-person of color, implying that the justice system believes that some people deserve redemption while others don’t. 

There is a myriad of ways people of color are stifled here in America; I am not here to argue that point. The very fact that people urge the public to believe that racism does not exist in America while data suggests it does, seems paradoxical in a shady sort of way. 

Critical Race Theory may be our only hope for a more inclusive America. Critical Race Theory serves as a catalyst for change in the decades to come. We cannot find solutions to difficult, but necessary questions like, “how do we equitably restructure the American Justice System in an antiracist fashion and sustain that progress,” if we cannot admit there is a problem with the justice system. 

So much of the tension between progressives and conservatives is linked to whether or not there is a race problem here in America. Although America made tremendous progress in terms of lessening racial oppression, the answer is yes, we have a problem. When confederate statues are celebrated as historic relics instead of dark spots in history when people fought to maintain an economy built on the back of slaves, we have a problem. 

When confederate statues are celebrated as historic relics instead of dark spots in history when people fought to maintain an economy built on the back of slaves, we have a problem. 

Dean, The Educator's Room

What hope is there for students to solve these social problems if students are never exposed to these issues? We all know too well that America’s conception was bloody and one fraught with much suffering, largely by people of color. Why can’t we use this history as a means of inspiring students, both of color and not of color, to strive to make America more inclusive? 

This little act pales in comparison to creating systemic change for people of color. If the best we can do teach Critical Race Theory to the next generation of politicians, lawyers, judges, and doctors, then we must at the bare minimum do this. 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailDevelopment of Seven- and Eight-Year-Olds Default ThumbnailTeachers and Their Students Practice, Not Perform Default ThumbnailMathematics with a Social Justice Agenda? Default ThumbnailAP Test Season: A Cocoon That Never Becomes The Butterfly
« School Librarians and Teachers Must Work Together To Make School Fun
Hey Teachers, It's July; How Are Y'all Doing? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lee-Ann Meredith says

    July 09, 2021 at 4:08 pm

    Ruby Bridges Goes to School is an astonishing book. It is important to see that Ruby moves through the mob mentality, she prays for the angry people, and in the end integration happens. It is a book of showing how change occurs, and of grace. I have read it to every 2nd grade class I taught. People can be straight up foolish sometimes.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.