America is a Racist Country. Why are White People in Denial of this Fact?
Critical Race Theory or CRT is at the center of an ongoing debate in a battle for the soul of this nation. Whether or not it should be taught in public schools should be discussed but the overwhelming vitriol towards CRT has moved past the discussion stage. Several states, run mostly by Republican governors, have passed legislation banningCRT from being taught in schools.
As an educator, I plan to incorporate CRT in the classroom this fall. I feel that it is my duty to inform my students of the truth about how Black people were treated in this country? I find it shameful to hide the truth because some White people are afraid of the repercussions. I say, Oh well, your ancestors did my ancestors dirty, and we still live with that trauma today.
So many White people insist that America is not a racist country. Really? Let me break it down — 1) the kidnapping and enslavement of our African ancestors, 2) the rise of the prison industrial complex, 3) the formation of the Klu Klux Klan, 4) Jim Crow laws, 5) Redlining, 6) School to Prison pipeline, and 7) the ongoing killings of Black men, women, and children at the hands of the police.
Within these categories, there are thousands of stories of how Black people have suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of White people. My people have been beaten, raped, whipped, and hung from trees. We’ve had crosses burned on our front lawns and dogs set on us when we protest. Our children had to attend and still attend substandard schools, read outdated textbooks, and had the White canon shoved down their throats.
My people are constantly besieged by stereotypes. Black women are “angry.” Black men are “dangerous.” Many Black boys are placed in Special Education classes in schools. Black girls are disciplined more severely than white girls. We’re looked at as drug dealers and welfare queens. Black people are made to feel like they’re not financially savvy and have bad credit.
When we protest, we’re surrounded by police and SWAT teams. Our protests are generally peaceful. If things do get out of hand, it’s a few outliers and not the main protesters. Yet, Black Lives Matter is blamed every time a store is set ablaze or ransacked. However, the insurrectionists, the majority of them were White men and women, who on January 6th, stormed the Capitol Building, terrorized senators, and trashed the Senate Floor. They wanted to hang then Vice President Pence with a noose! It was hours before police and military personnel arrived on the scene.
Black people and other people of color have always been abused by White people. We’re looked down upon because of our skin color and discriminated against in every aspect of daily life — education, health care, housing, and the job market. White people want us to entertain them. However, they don’t want us to have a seat at the table.
White America is in denial. They need to take a hard look in the mirror and accept the crimes that have been committed against Black people. White people can’t continue to hide history. History has a tendency to come out in other ways. There are always witnesses to atrocities — just ask the survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
