by the National Liberated Ethnic Studies Coalition

CRT and Ethnic Studies: What’s Really Being Banned?

In a panicked reaction to the inclusion of ethnic studies, Black Lives Matter, and other anti-racist curricula in our schools, 28 states are actively opposing social justice content. A recent tweet sent out by conservative “think tank” Texas Public Policy Foundation claimed that terms such as “diversity,” “inclusion,” “restorative justice,” and “identity” were all Trojan horse terms for critical race theory (CRT). 

Popular education news organization Chalkbeat has been tracking this trend. According to its reporting, 28 states have enacted efforts to “restrict education on racism, bias, [and] the contribution of specific racial or ethnic groups to U.S. history or related topics.” The language in anti-CRT rhetoric has many people asking, “What are they really banning?” — and rightly so. The fact that people are getting so whipped up by terms like “identity,” “justice,” and “current events” should be a huge red flag. The “C” in CRT stands for “critical.” It seems like race has little to do with the outrage of opponents of CRT and everything to do with critical thinking.