"Helping Black Kids Feel Safe Negatively Impacts White Kids"

The title above was actually a quote from Mary Beeman of Guilford, Connecticut, a Republican campaign manager for the local school board candidates.

The quote was typed into a chat for a virtual forum, This Is America : Critical Race Theory in Schools. The actual quote read "Helping kids of color to feel they belong has a negative effect on white, Christian, or conservative kids."

Right after hearing this my oldest sister's response to a conversation we had about Christopher Columbus a few days ago came to mind. She was telling me there will always be violence for the rest of our lives essentially so might as well let it go and not get worked up about it. But Christopher Columbus happened a zillion years ago and look at the effects his voyages still have on modern America.

I digress.

Critical Race Theory has been in the hot seat politically speaking for quite some time now and I get it. Anything that threatens the white mans truth will always be put on the chopping block. But just think about the inception of CRT. Critical Race Theory was developed in the 70's to measure what some viewed as a lack of racial progression after the civil rights legislations in the 1960's.

Let's just unpack this "racial progression" for a moment.

Earlier this year there was an attempted take-over at the Capitol building, a national landmark in Washington D.C. with repercussion's still coming along slowly. Since then there has been no real outcome for Breonna Taylor, the killing of the Daunte Wright and Derek Chauvin's murder trial of George Floyd happened, talks of defunding the police, countless monument and statue removals, Haitian immigrants being abused at the Rio Grande border as well as the upcoming trial for the murderer's of Ahmaud Arbery. Sadly, these remembrances in history are constant reminders of how far we really have not come.

The drawn out legality of every incident above is called Due Process, a requirement that legal matters be resolved according to established rules and principles.

So why is there seemingly no due process for the educational system, a set of legalities to keeps the system well oiled enough to produce children operating at their highest potential? Because it was never designed that way and sadly won't ever be the case.

We're taught that education is supposed to be freeing, that it gives you the tools to expand and open your world up. But America is so caught up on what happens once black people are free that they can't visualize the freedom that comes for everybody. Honestly, who is left to harp on if not black people? And maybe that is the point. This country has been so caught up in hatred and anger that it really can't fathom true happiness. But this is America's own Karma. Maybe she's smarter than we think. Maybe this country knows the wrath is upon us so we might as well keep going the way we've been. America isn't broke, it just doesn't work well for those it planned to enslave forever.

Seriously, this country never planned for the abolishment of slavery or desegregation. Let them tell it, slavery wasn't that bad and the slaves were actually happy. There is a PowerPoint point presentation going on somewhere right now, titled "Is Slavery Always Bad?" And this is exactly why we need Critical Race Theory.

Critical Race Theory was an approach to the policies and institutions of this country and mainly taught in law schools. It was first taught in 1970 by Derrick Bell, a Harvard law professor among other law professors, examining how race and racism has shaped American law and society. And now that Mary Beeman and her Republican candidates have the floor, they're number one goal is to "Stop Indoctrination in Critical Racy Theory." It doesn't matter that this happened in Connecticut just like the newly uncovered racist and anti-gay email exchanges between Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden and ex-GM Bruce Allen of the Washington Football Team really won't matter. They'll issue a weak and watered down statement condemning any hatred toward any group of minorities.

Mary Beeman has already come forward with one explaining that her words were taken out of context and what she actually meant was:

"Critical Race Theory and its related pedagogies ( practice of teaching) divides us into oppressors and oppressed, creating division and resentments based solely on race."

But Critical Race Theory never did that. America did. Young black scholars have no choice but to accept what society is. Time again we have been taught if you bear the color black there is no safety net for you. Just like that same sister who has accepted what society dished out vents about being a black woman doing as much as the men yet not getting paid nearly as much. Same plot of land, just different soil.

Dr. King once said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

We're talking about children people. Let it go. Because at this point, the once buried conversation started in the the 70's has been resurrected and won't be letting up anytime soon. You do remember black people boycotted a whole bus system in Montgomery and gave the city no choice but to let them sit where ever they wanted.

We would hate to unite and do the same for the educational system.