Whites’ tiff to whitewash blacks’ history
EVOLUTION of history is the evolution of democracy, but, America’s hip-hop nation is denying this significant truth by erasing black history.
An ancient Greek aphorism ‘know Thyself’ applies clearly to Critical Race Theory and urges me to write with all possible shortcomings to ban it.
Critical Race Theory introduces the individuals about the systemic presence of division and inequality ‘as social construction’ in American diverse culture along with its effect in myriad ways.
American cultural artefacts demonstrate White as dominant and Black as subsidiary which establish racism threaded in American roots. CRT acts as a pragmatic ploy to such social biases.
One group, consisting of almost half of the American nation is confronting not to remember the past; what happened to blacks in the slavery era and how their rights were infringed legally, socially, and politically; so, they are demonizing people who talk about this theory.
This particular group holds the view ‘what can be called white supremacist ideology’ to introduce replacement theory, and they are favouring the laws which ban critical race theory.
Replacement theory will continue with the same indoctrination where blacks are minute race soldiers ready to fight American ideological wars, and the access to opportunities for them is equal to none.
Those discriminatory practices of the past still have their ramifications, against which those coloured people are struggling intellectually.
Banning theory now, first of all, is an un-American attitude. Banning the theory also shows Whites’ hypocrisy that they want to keep white generations away from the historical truths and the lessons which blacks got during the civil war, and civil rights movement.
Further, they justify their position by saying that white children can develop a ‘guilt complex’ if the critical race theory continues in classrooms.
Banning further elucidates whites’ habitual act of minus or cancel culture along with intolerance towards blacks.
It also highlights that a liberal form of education with critical pedagogy enterprise is not acceptable to these White supremacists.
Moreover, the act of banning highlights that the oppression on the basis of skin colour is justified, accepted by colour people, so, not to be raised voice.
One more thing to add is conservatives’ objection on teaching critical race theory that it brings division.
Instead of division and developing racist views against colour people, Critical Race Theory may be moralizing for all, as dreaded past is not to cherish but to get some lesson to enjoy the present.
It does not mean that the present white generation is being blamed for the oppressions done to the blacks in the past.
It means if white children get to know about the injustices done to blacks, they would not repeat the mistake done by their elders, rather they would try to rectify those mistakes and compensate for the past biases.
Likewise, in school teachings there is need to improve educational practices of white educators towards more positive, neutral, anti-racist, and to be culturally responsive along with its implementation.
They must not exclude the lived experiences of blacks to impose the white narrative of history.
I quote Jonathan Sacks definition of true freedom as a gauge to measure American standards of justice and independence, “true freedom requires the rule of law and justice and the judicial system in which the rights of some are not secured by the denial of rights to others”, where the States couldn’t fulfil these standards to meet true freedom for all; this is what Critical Race Theory furnishes its readers with.
But the recent threats reported in Nevada and Arizona have made the security concerns frightening, leading them to hire more security and metal detectors to encounter the situation. Furthermore, some States are getting agree to ban the discussion on critical race theory.
In fact, States, instead of these sorts of threats, need to reorder society, legal and other institutions, policies and scholarships, for the thorough ending of racial disparity.
—The writer is Lecturer in English Literature at GC University Faisalabad.
