Backlash Against Critical Race Theory Gains Steam Amid Reckoning on Racism

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KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 22 June 2021

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Critical race theory has come under fire from some conservatives, elected leaders, parents and educators. The concept evolved decades ago from legal scholarship seeking to understand how racial bias plays a role in U.S. laws and institutions. Efforts to dismantle critical race theory are now gaining traction more than a year into what many people consider a national reckoning with racism. More than twenty states have introduced or passed legislation that would ban schools from teaching about racism or “divisive concepts.” We talk about what critical race theory is and why it is stirring backlash now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:38.3	Xfinity internet required. Actual speeds vary. From KQED. Welcome back to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. In more than 20 states, Republican lawmakers have introduced proposals to restrict teaching about systemic racism or other, quote, divisive concepts in schools, saying the effort is a fight against critical race theory, a concept that emerged decades ago in legal scholarship that examines
0:55.0	racism in U.S. laws and institutions. We look at what critical race theory is and why it's
1:00.8	during backlash now. And joining me first is Dr. Kendall Thomas, a professor and co-founder
1:06.1	and director of the Center for the Study of Law and Culture at Columbia Law School.
1:12.2	Kendall Thomas, thanks so much for joining us.
1:16.4	Kendall Thomas, are you there?
1:18.9	Thank you for having me.
1:20.2	Yeah, really appreciate having you here.
1:23.0	In 1995, I know you co-authored the book,
1:26.7	Critical Race Theory, the key writings that form the movement, which collected important and foundational essays on critical race theory.
1:35.3	So can you just start by explaining the main pillars of it, what critical race theory is?
1:41.3	I'd be happy to do that.
1:43.3	I am a member of the Brown versus Board of Education Generation.
1:49.0	Brown was decided in 1954.
1:51.8	I was born in 1957.
1:55.4	And my family sent me to public schools as a child with the hope that I would receive the kind of public education
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