Sorting Through Critical Race Theory
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I am trying to understand Critical Race Theory, and it is not a simple matter.
Perhaps the easiest way to break down the idea comes from one of the primary originators, the legal scholar and civil rights activist Derrick Bell. He posited that racism in this country is not an aberration, but rather a fundamental part of our society.
The argument is that, given our history of slavery, Jim Crow and the long struggle for civil rights, racism permeates our policies and institutions. The theory goes that those racist policies promote the general welfare of the majority whites, while relegating blacks to second class citizenship.