"Antiracism" has a specific meaning in CRT. Specifically, it is opposed to the concept of non-racism - the idea that we should be as colorblind as possible, judge people on the content of their character, and treat everyone equally. Instead, "antiracism" teaches that white people are, by definition, complicit in racism and that people of color are incapable of racism. White citizens are seen as inherently privileged and POC inherently oppressed - regardless of their actual backgrounds. Antiracism also holds that many of Western society’s behavioral norms and moral principles only apply to white people and expecting POC to abide by them is tantamount to white supremacy. Thus, for example, you have the “whiteness chart” posted by the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in DC this summer that claimed that things like punctuality, hard work and objective reasoning are manifestations of “white culture dominance.”
At its core, Critical Race Theory (CRT) assumes that racism is baked into everything in America and that white privilege and white supremacy are the basis of all American power structures which perpetuates the marginalization of people of color (POC). CRT attacks the very foundations of classical liberalism, including equality theory, legal reasoning, and the neutral principles of constitutional law. It argues that these liberal values are just social constructs to legitimate white supremacy. CRT criticizes civil rights scholarship and anti-discrimination law, arguing that the only reasons civil rights advocates were successful was because it coincided with the self interest of whites at the time. It also turns its back on the tradition of rational inquiry - preferring narratives over analysis. It does not use logical argument or empirical data but stories and teaches one to judge the validity of an argument based on the speaker’s group identity. So “lived experiences” are valued over objective facts. CRT also holds the idea that successful POC have actually assimilated to whiteness by distancing themselves from other POCs and adopting Anglo racist attitudes towards them.
When people claim that CRT is “in the school system,” they do not mean that second graders are being taught complicated postmodern theories. They mean that teachers are being trained to teach subject matter through a CRT “lens.”
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is not just an affirmation. It is a well-known political movement with particular goals and beliefs. Whether or not you are on board with those goals and beliefs does not prevent it from being a political movement. You can, as I have seen people do, perform mental gymnastics trying to convince everyone that when YOU say BLM you are just referring to the (absolutely uncontroversial) affirmation, not the group or political movement.
One question - how would you feel if your kid’s teacher started wearing a MAGA hat to school everyday and claimed she was just affirming that she loves America and it had absolutely zero to do with Trump and his policies?
I think you would call bullshit, dear friend.
Diversity (Shana’s version) encompasses tolerance and respect and understands that each person is unique with individual backgrounds and beliefs. Different backgrounds can include dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. However, if you have a room full of many different skin colors, but everyone in the room thinks the same thing - you are lacking meaningful diversity.
Equity (Shana’s version) means trying to make sure everyone gets what they uniquely need to succeed. I, for one, believe this is a laudable but impossible goal. How do you know what each person needs to succeed? What does “success” look like for each specific individual? And who decides? We cannot all be doctors. And most people do not want to be.
So, we do what we have been doing over the last many years - attempting to get as close as we can at the individual level. This child may need reading intervention. This one may need an advanced course in physics. Etc.
Note that ‘equity of opportunity’ is different from ‘equity of outcomes.’ I do not accept ‘equity of outcomes’ as a valid goal. Because I am not a communist.
Inclusion (Shana’s version) refers to the creation of an environment where all individuals are respected, feel engaged and motivated, and are valued. However, including someone does not mean you must adopt their belief system.
For example, I am sure my Christian kids would feel more included if teachers started signing their emails with “Jesus Loves You.” I do not, however, think that would be respectful of all the other kids and families who do not believe in Jesus.