Critical Race Theory Iverson

The overarching theme of critical race theory is centered on race and racism, however in higher education, critical race scholars recognize that racial identity and this form of oppression (racism) intersects with other subordinated identities (such as gender, class, religion, ability/disability, sexual orientation, etc.) and forms of oppression (sexism, homophobia, ableism, etc.) to influence People of Color’s lived experiences (Bartlett & Brayboy, 2005; Brayboy 2005; Kumasi, 2011; Lynn & Adams, 2002; Solórzano & Yosso, 2001). This means that in higher education, critical race theory challenges the dominate discourse on race and racism as it relates to educational theory, policy and practice (Solórzano, 1998).

Racial diversity is something that is often discussed on college campuses. As a student who self-identifies as a minority in more ways than one I often feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the subject of racism and race. However, often times when these issue are discussed I learn something new; this was the case when reading the articles this week. This week’s articles examined the issue of race from different perspectives. This allowed me to re-examine the issue in a fuller manner; it also allowed me to question some of my own notions that I hadn’t really challenged before.

Despite changes in the landscape for treatment of ethnic minorities in the United States over the past 200 years, issues with racism has never stopped being an issue and continues to tarnish and tatter the very fabric of our nation. There has been a history of violence against Black people that dates back 400 years, to a time when the first slave was forcefully brought here to the USA (Rogers, 2015). From that time on, people of African descent have been dehumanized and treated as second-class citizens and this has become an ongoing community issue (Diversi, 2016). Racial classification was created as a way to condone slavery and maintain the primacy of the white race (Tolliver, Hadden, Snowden, & Manning, 2016). Aymer (2016) explains that the Critical Race Theory (CRT) provides a way to understand that the violence that Blacks face in America originates from the societal belief in White superiority and, when trying to understand the Black reality, centuries of racial oppression must be discussed (Aymer, 2016). CRT acknowledges that racism is primarily a problem in America and has contributed to the social disparities in the U.S. In addition, it notes other forms of oppression that are important to discuss and work through. CRT does not believe in the legal rhetoric that there is an impartial, equal way of dealing with individuals in the community that has nothing to do with color and everything to do with achievement and hard work. It also takes on an interdisciplinary

In assessing interpersonal relationships, the concept of race is a powerful factor. The United States upholds a problematic legacy in regard to the power discrepancies between racial minorities and white individuals. The race issues that currently exist in the U.S. are of unacceptable quantities but are also progressing through a path towards larger conflict that can be analyzed through theories of race and ethnicity, specifically critical race theory. After an overview of critical race theory, there will be an analysis of the historical context of the U.S., looking at slavery and segregation. A discussion of the existing systemic issues that reinforce power imbalances will follow. Subsequently, there will be an examination of “white privilege” and the violence that can emerge out of this notion. The stance that is being taken here is not merely that there is severe racism in U.S., but that in using critical race theory, one can see that race issues are so deeply rooted in society to the extent that it reinforces future inequality and violence.

The final theory is Critical Race Theory. Regarding Critical Race theory, there are six tenets used to explain the theory (Abrams & Moio, 2009). I am going to examine three of those tenets her. The first is racism is normal, and ordinary, and is a part of the American society (Abrams & Moio, 2009). In the program, there are more African-American clients than those of other ethnicities.

Critical race theory is an approach to examine race as a social construct, and it looks at the social and economic inequality among the different races in society. This theory better understands the different values of the race at different level such as individual, interactional, institutional by highlighting those narratives of minorities that typically do not have the power. The privilege is typically silence those narratives by holding more power in the social position as being White than those narratives. Social position refers to the position that is given to a person given by society and culture, which influenced by the person’s social status. The power of the social position can relate to the privilege and power of whites in politics

The critical race theory is also directly related to the racialization of African Americans. This theory looks at racism, at a broader perspective. It observes the economics, history of the race, the environment of where individuals live, and the context of where certain racism situations occur. In this case, racism is considered a standard part of American society, it is not limited to obvious acts of discrimination or cruelty against minorities, but has become unrecognizable in everyday lives. Viewing and treating people as only a stereotype such as, African Americans as criminals, is a form of racism. The critical race theory can help to understand why people may view African Americans as criminals, dangerous or violent. Whites may not fully

An intelligent Black boy, who dumbs himself down to avoid criticism. The Hispanic girl who stays at home to take care of her family, instead of going to school. The Asian who pursues a career in medicine, despite wanting to be an actor. All of these strange actions can be explained by the Critical Race Theory. In short, the Critical Race Theory examines how victims of racism and stereotypes counter prejudice. Under the Critical Race Theory falls stereotype threat in which victims assume the roles that they think are prescribed for them based on popular stereotypes. The aim of stereotype threat and the Critical Race Theory is to explain both negative and positive ways minorities are effected by their race and how this reflected in our society as a whole.

The theoretical framework chosen to guide my research in analyzing predictors of success in higher education among African American students is Critical Race Theory (CRT), with an emphasis in education. Critical Race Theory in Education (CRTE) evolved from CRT, which is derivative of Critical Legal Studies (CLS), a 1970’s movement which “sought to expose and challenge the views that legal reasoning was neutral, value free, and unaffected by social, and economic relations, political forces, or culture phenomena” (Brown & Jackson, 2013, p. 9). CLS scholars successfully confirmed that personal biases of judges compromised verdicts in legal cases, claiming that America’s legal system only reinforces an oppressive social order benefiting the dominant race more than the oppressed race (Brown & Jackson, 2013). CRTE scholars is indebted to CRT scholars (which is indebted to CLS scholars), thus scholars of CRTE should be well versed in the history of CRT (and CLS).

American society likes to believe that race relations in our country are no longer strained. We do not want to hear about the need for affirmative action or about the growing numbers of white supremacist groups. In order to appease our collective conscious, we put aside the disturbing fact that racism is alive and well in the great U.S.A. It hides in the workplace, it subtly shows its ugly face in the media, and it affects the education of minority students nationwide. In the following excerpts from an interview with a middle class African American male, the reader will find strong evidence that race plays a major role in determining the type and quality of education a student receives.

One of the ways that I am applying Critical Race Theory is in my personal analyze of the effects that numerous factors can have and carry out on my clients. One of my clients is the oldest child out of four and so he has had to take on a lot of responsibilities since his father departed from the family. The fact that he is a person of color changes how his own environment affects him; in a negative way. I have started to take notice that for some of my clients living street blocks away from each other and attending the same school maintain quite different needs, and although exterior barriers seems to be similar they in fact are not. For instance, I have three clients that attend the same middle school, but all three their family holds different

The articles Who’s afraid of Critical Race Theory by Derrick Bell and Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics by Kimberle Crenshaw are both similar in many ways. Both argue how African Americans are still being treated as a lower class compare to whites. In Crenshaw article, she states how the African American women are not only excluded and discriminated because they are women but also because of the color of their skin. Crenshaw gives examples of when it comes to African American women complaints often are not take into consideration because of their gender as well as the color of their skin. Crenshaw also gave an example of how General

Critical race theory “ is an academic discipline focused upon the application of critical theory a critical examination of society and culture, to the intersection of race, law, and power. Critical race theory is often associated with many of the controversial issues involved in the pursuit of equality issues related to race and ethnicity” ( Luis Tyson). The movement is loosely unified by two common themes. First, proposes that white supremacy and racial power are maintained over time, and in particular, that the past may play a role. Because of the experiences of slavery, most slaves repressed these memories in an attempt to forget the past. “This repression from the past causes a fragmentation of the self and a loss of true identity. Sethe, Paul D. and Denver all experience this loss of self, which could only be remedied by the acceptance of the past and the memory of their original identities. Beloved serves to remind these characters of their repressed memories, eventually causing the reintegration of themselves” (Sparknotes). Toni Morrison’s Beloved goes into the individual story that was captive, and their human responses to slavery through their voices. “The manipulation of language and its controlled absence reinforces the mental enslavement that persists after individuals are freed from physical bondage” (Emily Clark). Reading through a critical race lense in the novel Beloved, by Toni Morrison, the experience of minorities have given Sethe, Paul D, Baby Suggs, and

Turning to the realm of education, some opponents of affirmative action claim that its policies actually backfire, and that it harms the very groups it is intended to help. For example, Shelby Steele, a researcher who specializes in racial studies at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute, claims that blacks “stand to lose more from [affirmative action] than they gain,” (Steele 113). Steele argues that affirmative action in higher education precludes the success of racial minorities to “achieve proportionate representation on their own” because, as presently implemented, it confuses representation with development (115). He also claims that affirmative action leads to black self-doubt because it often calls for less prepared black students to compete directly with well-prepped whites (116).

The critical race theory advocates the regulation of hate speech online and evaluates the concept of free speech through the lens of those traditionally targeted by hate speech. Proponents of this theory use the stories of the persecuted in defense for their positon. This position also aligns itself with the speech act perspective, the idea that speech ultimately will result in action; this is central to the critical race argument because it is precisely what moves the right to free speech into dangerous territory for minorities. The ultimate goal of this theory is to reduce the number of hate crimes in the real world by limiting the ability of hate groups to organize online and create fear within minority communities.