Education in schools around “critical race theory” is a consistently controversial topic. Some parents worry that their children are learning unnecessary information in school. Administration worries that parents or educators will be bothered by education on this topic. Educators worry that they will not have the proper materials to adequately inform their students about this topic.
But in fact, education that incorporates the ideas of critical race theory is one of the most beneficial ways a student can learn at all levels of education.
As a senior in college studying Health Science with a concentration in Public Health, I often reflect on my education. Some things that I have learned I will never utilize again. Other things that I have learned have completely changed my view of the world as a future healthcare worker and as a person.
Classes such as Diversities and Disparities in Healthcare with Dr. Christina Gunther, or Sociology of Health and Healthcare with Dr. Patricia Lewis, have provided me with immense knowledge on the extreme systemic issues in this country. These systemic conditions lead to health disparities that cause preventable illness and death amongst minority groups in this country every day.
I often learn about different statistics and conditions that minority groups, specifically Black Americans, have experienced due to systemic racism and discrimination in the United States. When sharing these facts with friends or family, their reaction is always the same. They say something along the lines of, “how could something so terrible happen?” or “I had no idea.” The lack of understanding surrounding these topics is an extreme flaw in our education system.
In December of 2020, Connecticut became the first state to require high school to provide courses that discuss Black and Latino communities in history, society, economics and culture. Implementation of these courses varies from school to school based on class sizes and student interest. In a course at Ridgefield High School, students will look at the contributions from African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino in U.S. history, as well as view history from a different perspective. The class, “forces us to think about the racial tensions of this country in the past and how it shapes our present and future,” said senior Ridgefield High School student, Marcus Joseph.
Of course, there has been backlash. Jennifer Tafuto, a Manchester second-grade teacher, resigned saying she believed young students were being “brainwashed” by a curriculum focused on race. “What’s going on is pitting children against each other based on the color of their skin,” Tafuto said.
Although formally considering the role of race may be new for younger students, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. White educators can better understand the diverse backgrounds that are involved in and outside of their school system. This allows them to better connect to minority students. Additionally, students from different backgrounds will feel represented, as well as gain knowledge on cultures that may be different from their own.
“Critical race theory is a theoretical tool that began in legal studies, in law schools, in an attempt to explain racial inequity. It serves the same function in education. How do you explain the inequity of achievement, the racial inequity of achievement in our school?” said Gloria-Ladson Billings in a 2022 interview with Jill Anderson through Harvard EdCast. Race is a social construct, not a biological factor. It is important to educate students on discriminatory systems in the United States that created this cultural divide.
“The nation has always had an explanation for inequity. Since 1619, it’s always had an explanation. And indeed from 1619 to the mid 20th century, that explanation was biogenetic. ‘Those people are just not smart enough’,” said Billings. Lack of education surrounding this topic only feeds the divide, as there is little understanding on what the true explanation for this inequity is. Continuing to implement diverse perspectives into education that show students the whole picture will only better prepare them for their future.
There isn’t a perfect time within an education to incorporate critical race theory. Even in early childhood education, children can be exposed to different cultures through stories and in-class activities. In middle school and high school, social studies and history teachers should focus on the whole truth when educating students, including perspectives from different cultures.
“I really just hope that we can turn down the temperature just a little bit,” said Tony Roy, the president of the Connecticut Council for Social Studies, “so social studies teachers can get in there and do what they’ve been doing for many years, which is educating young people to be able to understand where they are, how they got here, and where we’re going and part of that is the legacy of race relations.”
It shouldn’t be controversial to teach students the truth about United States history and how its flaws have impacted generations to come. Additionally, it wouldn’t be inappropriate for teachers to keep parents aware of what they were teaching their students about diversity and other cultures in school. Parents will feel respected and included, and they could potentially learn something new too.
Combating the issues of systemic racism and discrimination in this country is not easy. One of the reasons it is not easy is because there is not a general understanding of the actual problem we are dealing with here. Inequity in America will not solve itself. The information is out there on why inequity exists. We have the resources to reach equity in this country, but our resources are not being adequately used.
The best way to educate on this topic is implementing critical race theory into school systems. Without it, the wellbeing of minority groups will not improve. An ethical, mutual understanding must be found in order for the effects of systemic racism to lessen, and hopefully become nonexistent. We cannot continue to fail minority groups in this country through lack of education about their hardships. It is time to properly educate students and ensure that they are knowledgeable enough to understand why race is a social construct and the effects that has caused.
It’s time for change and it begins in the classroom.
Sophia Carenzo is a senior at Sacred Heart University, majoring in Health Science with a concentration in Public Health, with a minor in Spanish.