By SUZANNE PEREZ
Kansas News Service
WICHITA, Kansas â Kansas schools find themselves entangled in a debate about the past and whether critical race theory â the left's notion that America has yet to atone for its white supremacist origins and the rightâs allergy to that world view â ought to guide the teaching of history and politics.
The theory marks the latest academic concept to become intensely politicized.
Critical race theory emerged out of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and â70s. Its core idea holds that racism isnât an individual trait, but rather one embedded in American culture and policies.
It became more widely known and talked about after the killing of George Floyd, when many Americans argued that the police officer convicted of his murder was not just âone bad cop,â but part of a racist system in need of fundamental reform.
Academics and politicians also pointed to â and clashed over â The 1619 Project, a New York Times Magazine piece by Nikole Hannah-Jones that explored the legacy and history of Black Americans and slavery.
According to The Times, the project âaims to reframe the countryâs history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.â Since its publication in 2019, it has been debated in Congress and state legislatures and held up as an example of critical race theory.
Some conservatives argue that the concept is unnecessarily divisive, portraying white Americans as oppressors and the United States as inherently wicked.
In a recent email to supporters, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican candidate for governor, called critical race theory âa radical new curriculumâ and called on the U.S. Department of Education to âwithdraw its prioritiesâ to teach it in classrooms.
âItâs the Far Leftâs new strategy to teach our students that they should be ashamed of America,â Schmidt said in the email, âand that our skin color should define who we are.â
Earlier this month, state Sen. Brenda Dietrich, a Topeka Republican, asked the Board of Regents to produce a list of courses at Kansas universities that teach critical race theory. That sparked a backlash. Some professors and others called it a threat to academic freedom.
Journalist David M. Perry posted a screenshot of an email sent to faculty at Pittsburg State University.
âImagine receiving an email from your chair about whether you teach any other set of ideas, a theory, a concept,â Perry wrote. âEven these days, an email saying âdo you teach marxismâ is unlikely (note: We have lots of classes on Marxism pretty much everywhere).â
He added that Pittsburg State University leaders âshould refuse to comply with this attempt at censorship.â
Dietrich, the state lawmaker who made the request, is considered by most to be a moderate in the Kansas Statehouse. She said the request wasnât an attempt to quash university courses or discussion, but only to seek general information so she could answer constituent emails.
âThatâs really one of the most important things we do as legislators: we find out information and we pass it on to our constituents. I think we have an obligation to make sure itâs accurate,â Dietrich told The Kansas City Star.
Kansas university leaders said few if any courses focus on critical race theory, but some professors address it during discussions on race and equity.
Shirley Lefever, interim provost at Wichita State University, described critical race theory as âan area of study that explores racial disparities and their origins, as well as the impact of those disparities over time.â
Lefever said the topic could be included in various courses or programs at Wichita State. Debates about it should be expected, she said.
âHistory is always in the eyes of the beholder,â Lefever said in an email. âWhen a personâs perspective or experience is different from someone elseâs, it can create discord or discomfort. However, those are also opportunities for learning.
âTo see something from another personâs perspective can be enlightening and powerful.â
Lawmakers in at least 16 states have introduced or passed legislation seeking to limit the teaching of critical race theory. The bills, including one introduced in Missouri, resemble a now-defunct executive order by then-President Donald Trump that prohibited federally funded institutions from teaching âdivisive conceptsâ about race and gender.
Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson said opposition to critical race theory is becoming an issue for local districts.
âAll of you are getting on probably a daily, weekly basis: What are you gonna do about critical race theory?â Watson told state Board of Education members at their June meeting. âThat is a curriculum that may or may not be taught, but itâs not in our standards at all. But they want you to do something about it.â
Watsonâs comments came during a discussion about legislative action â and potential overreach â in the education realm.
Over the past year, Kansas lawmakers have pushed for curriculum changes or new graduation requirements focused on financial literacy, civics and computer science. Prior to that, the Kansas Legislature weighed in on Common Core standards for math and reading.
Now the hot topic is critical race theory, Watson said.
âBut thatâs just the topic of the week. I mean, next week itâll be something else,â Watson said. âBecause whoeverâs emailing you doesnât like that topic. Thatâs what makes this difficult. Because then if you donât react, where do they go? The Legislature.â
On June 12, educators in more than a dozen states plan to demonstrate as part of a âTeach the Truthâ rally organized by the Zinn Education Project and Black Lives Matter at School. The groups are urging teachers to sign a pledge saying they ârefuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current eventsâ regardless of the law.â
âWhen young people see the inequalities that persist today â in income, or education, or justice â they ask, âWhy?ââ said Deborah Menkart, co-director of the Zinn Education Project, in a news release about the event.
âUnder these current laws or proposals, teachers would be banned from answering these important questions. Thatâs not teaching history. Thatâs hiding it.â
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT or email her at [email protected].