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KATIE ZERR: Isn’t banning CRT a form of indoctrination?


Should politicians decide what is taught in schools and how history is perceived?
There is a nationwide push to limit educators from using the critical race theory (CRT), including in South Dakota. In a letter this week to the Board of Regents that oversees the state’s six public universities, Gov. Kristi Noem targeted critical race theory and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “1619 Project,” describing them as misleading “students into believing the country is evil or was founded upon evil.”
Noem called for the board to set a policy “to preserve honest, patriotic education,” defining that as cultivating “both a profound love of our country and a realistic picture of its virtues and challenges.”
“It is critical that our classrooms remain a place of learning, not indoctrination,” Noem said
What is critical race theory and what makes it a factor in teaching our children to hate America according to some people?
Critical race theory is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The basis of CRT according to Education Weekly, is that racism is a social construct, and that it is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.
A little history search shows critical race theory emerged out of a framework for legal analysis in the late 1970s and early 1980s created by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others.
The academic understanding of critical race theory differs from recent representation of its portrayal by critics. Critics charge that the theory divides people into “oppressed” and “oppressor” groups; and urges intolerance. This creates confusion about what critical race theory actually means.
Critical race theory is not something that was thought up by far-left academia. Facts show that oppression has been a part of the history of America and politics for as long as our nation has existed. Factual, historical evidence is clear.
There are examples of how politics has advanced discrimination throughout the history of our nation in business, farming, education, real estate and in policing.
In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that people of color were not allowed to vote.
Prior to passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, South Dakota allowed Native Americans a limited right to vote, but only if they severed ties with their tribe, and as determined on a case-by-case basis.
In 2001 a federal court ruled that South Dakota violated the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act when it approved a statewide redistricting plan that diluted the voting power of Native Americans.
According to some, this type of historical information should not be included in our children’s education.
We should be asking what they are trying to keep hidden by not allowing our children to learn about discrimination.
What about discussions on current events such as the George Floyd case or the number of missing indigenous women in South Dakota?
Would student not be allowed to have these discussions in their classrooms? Would the exchange of information, ideas and theories driven by current events be banned because of policies of a party and not educational value?
These kinds of conversations and questions about the news cycle are imperative when dealing with stories about race relations, injustice and inequity. Conversations about current events can be teachable moments and encourage critical thinking for young minds, according to educators.
Isn’t politics dictating what our children are allowed to learn counter-productive to their developing opinions and ideals?
Why is it dangerous to allow our young people to think for themselves?
Are we afraid that our children will learn there is more than one manner in which to view the world?
Isn’t banning critical race theory a form of censorship and indoctrination?
These are the questions that we should be asking.

One response to “KATIE ZERR: Isn’t banning CRT a form of indoctrination?”

  1. Kathi Taylor says:

    Thank you for saying this.

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