Civic Forums on Structural Racism, Critical Race Theory & the Tensions of Multi-Racial Democracy

Sunday, Dec 10, 2022 1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Sunday, Nov 15, 2020 1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Overview

If anything is clear in 2021, it is that we are a deeply divided nation.  A key driver of these divisions is structural racism and the changing demographics in the United States. And these are coming to a head today in the wars around teaching critical race theory.

For this month’s Civic Forum, we’re going to step back to look more closely and more deeply at what structural racism is, how it manifests, and what we--as the rising generation of civic leaders--can do about it. Structural racism is, obviously, a huge and complex topic. And it’s not something we can dismantle overnight. But it’s an incredibly important concept to understand and consider in relation to, well, just about everything, and it’s something that we will continue to explore over the course of our Civic Forums and our lives.

So what IS “structural racism?” As defined by The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change, structural racism in the U.S. is the normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics – historical, cultural, economic, institutional, and interpersonal – that routinely advantage white people while producing cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for people of color. It is a system of hierarchy and inequity, primarily characterized by white supremacy – the preferential treatment, privilege and power for white people at the expense of Black, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Arab and other racially oppressed people. It is a system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. The structural racism lens allows us to see that, as a society, we more or less take for granted a context of white leadership, dominance, and privilege. 

The dominant consensus on race is the frame that shapes our attitudes and judgments about social issues. It has come about as a result of the way that historically accumulated white privilege, national values, and contemporary culture have interacted so as to preserve the gaps between white Americans and Americans of color. Structural racism is not something that a select individual or institutions choose to practice out of their own individual, conscious racism but rather something that we are all embedded within. Addressing it entails analysis of systems in order to understand why changes in multiple sectors are necessary to make genuinely sustainable progress towards racial equity in any particular sphere, such as education, health, or economic security.

How does Critical Race Theory figure into this?

​​Critical race theory (CRT) and how it is taught in classrooms is at the center of debate nationwide. At least 21 states have introduced or passed legislation to restrict or ban the teaching of CRT--North Dakota just passed a law to ban teaching “that racism is systemically embedded in American society and the American legal system to facilitate racial inequality.” Videos of tense debates over CRT at school board meetings have gone viral. And some feel critical race theory was a deciding factor in Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin’s recent election as governor of Virginia.

There's a significant partisan divide not only on applying the theory, but also on how it evolved over time, what it represents, and how it could influence students. Supporters of critical race theory being taught in schools say it's a necessary academic tool for "examining how racism is embedded in America’s laws and institutions" and argue that attempts to suppress it represent a "Republican scare tactic and disinformation campaign." Opponents of critical race theory in schools argue that it trains people to only "see everything through the lens of racial group identity and inherited guilt"; some called for "more grassroots involvement in ensuring that schools teach American history and values with fairness and accuracy." CRT supporters often describe it as a positive after-effect of the civil rights movement; opponents often say it has Marxist roots and is anti-American..

So what IS Critical Race Theory?

Critical race theory (CRT) is a body of legal scholarship and an academic movement of civil-rights scholars and activists in the United States who seek to critically examine the intersection of race and U.S. law and to challenge mainstream American liberal approaches to racial justice. CRT examines social, cultural, and legal issues primarily as they relate to race and racism in the United States. 

CRT originated in the mid 1970s in the writings of several American legal scholars. It emerged as a movement by the 1980s, reworking theories of critical legal studies (CLS) with more focus on race. CRT is grounded in critical theory and draws from thinkers such as Antonio Gramsci, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and W. E. B. DuBois, as well as the Black Power, Chicano, and radical feminist movements from the 1960s and 1970s. 

While critical race theorists do not all share the same beliefs, the basic tenets of CRT include that racism and disparate racial outcomes are the result of complex, changing, and often subtle social and institutional dynamics, rather than explicit and intentional prejudices in individuals.  CRT scholars also view race and white supremacy as an intersectional social construction, which serves to uphold the interests of white people at the expense of marginalized communities. In the field of legal studies, CRT emphasizes that merely making laws colorblind on paper may not be enough to make the application of the laws colorblind; ostensibly colorblind laws can be applied in racially discriminatory ways. A key CRT concept is intersectionality, which emphasizes that race can intersect with other identities (such as gender and class) to produce complex combinations of power and disadvantage.

Academic critics of CRT argue that it relies on social constructionism, elevates storytelling over evidence and reason, rejects the concepts of truth and merit, and opposes liberalism. Since 2020, conservative lawmakers in the United States have sought to ban or restrict critical race theory instruction along with other anti‑racism programs. Critics of these efforts say the lawmakers have poorly defined or misrepresented the tenets and importance of CRT and that the goal of the laws is to silence discussions of racism, equality, social justice, and the history of race.

Our Upcoming Civic Forum

So what are the implications of all of this for our lives as informed, engaged citizens and future voters in the United States in 2021? We have a great guide on this journey in Stephanie L. Young, who serves as the Executive Director of When We All Vote, a non-partisan voting initiative created and chaired by Michelle Obama.

Stephanie previously served as the Chief Communications and Culture officer for When We All Vote. In that role she created and implemented a messaging, cultural and partnerships strategy which helped register over 500,000 voters and engage with 100 million Americans in 2020 - the largest increase in voter participation in over 120 years. Through her leadership she created the #CouchParty with DJ D-Nice the first virtual live voter registration event that reached over 400K voters.

Stephanie has more than 15 years of experience as a senior strategic communications, engagement and content strategist with a proven track record of building strong connections and developing creative solutions for issues involving culture, entertainment, justice, politics and activism in the public and private sectors.

Her work spans from organizations including the Obama White House, Congressional leadership, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, and BET Networks. In these roles, Stephanie demonstrated the influence that politics, pop culture and the entertainment industry can have on each other to create a more fair, progressive and just society through artistry, activism and storytelling. 

During her time in the White House, Stephanie had the unique opportunity to serve in two critical roles as the Associate Communications Director and then as the Senior Public Engagement Advisor. In these roles she led the press strategy around domestic policy announcements, and created and managed critical relationships for the President in the African American community. 

Prior to the White House, Stephanie worked on political campaigns and for the House Democratic Leadership in Congress where her roles included time as the National Press Secretary for the House Majority Leader and Communications Director for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). 

Stephanie is a graduate of Hampton University who has also lived in Atlanta, Cape Town, Dallas, Jacksonville and Washington, DC before moving to Brooklyn, NY where she currently resides. It was during her time in Cape Town that Stephanie was exposed to the power of organizing, voting, and justice as the country transitioned from Apartheid to Democracy.

Background Resources

Please choose at least a few in each category to read, watch and/or listen to. Many of us come to this issue with strong feelings about what should and shouldn’t be taught. We encourage you to consider multiple perspectives on this debate, what underlies them, and what the implications are

What IS structural racism?

 

What Is Critical Race Theory?

 

How Did We Get Here--and what is the road forward?