Teaching about race is good, actually. States need to stop banning it

(OtherWords.org) – In this back-to-school season, millions of American students are returning to classrooms where the wrong course, lesson or textbook can lead to deep trouble. Why? Because for the last several years, conservative activists and lawmakers have been waging a crusade against “critical race theory” or CRT.Critical race theory is an academic concept acknowledging that racism isn’t simply the result of individual prejudice but is also embedded in our institutions through laws, regulations and rules.Related Stories As school districts have emphasized, it’s a higher education concept rarely taught in K-12 schools. But cynical activists have used CRT as a catch-all term to target a broad range of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives – and seemingly any discussion about race and racism in the classroom.Since January 2021, 44 states have “introduced bills or taken other steps that would restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism,” according to Education Weekly. And as of this writing, UCLA has identified 807 anti-CRT “bills, resolutions, executive orders, opinion letters, statements, and other measures” since September 2020.Critics claim – falsely – that CRT teaches that all White people are oppressors, while Black people are simply oppressed victims. Many...