The CRT or “critical race theory”, a new avatar of cultural warfare in the United States

By Stéphanie Le Bars

Posted today at 6:00 a.m.

Recently, in the schools of North Carolina, the professors no longer have the right to teach that the United States was created by the “Members of a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex”. Their Idaho colleagues are prohibited from asserting that “Individuals, by virtue of their race, sex, religion, ethnicity or color are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by people of the same race, sex, same ethnicity or the same color “. In the state of Rhode Island, a bill defended by elected representatives of the Republican minority intends to ban from classrooms the claim that the United States is “Fundamentally racist or sexist”.

Did these teachings have a voice before these new laws interfere in the content of the courses? Probably not in those terms. But the elected conservatives considered the threat sufficiently close to want to protect the children of an ideology considered “Poisonous” and hastily summarized under the obscure acronym CRT, for critical race theory. “The CRT aims to find racism in every corner of the United States”, lamented the elected Rhode Island Patricia Morgan by presenting her text. Moved by the same fears, Don Jones, a local elected official from Ohio, added: ” The critical race theory is dangerous and fundamentally wrong. Students [blancs] should not have to ‘question their whiteness’ or ‘examine their privileges’ ”.

Resolutely engaged in this new identity battle, some fifteen states have adopted in recent weeks – or are trying to get approval – texts aimed at limiting discussions on racial issues in schools. United in their fight, the Conservatives have designated a common enemy with a single rallying cry: haro on the CRT! Across the country, movements close to the Republican Party have created associations of parents who are quick to express their anger and fears to local education officials.

Banning “racial equality and diversity” training

The federal level is not left out. In May, around 30 Republican elected officials from the House of Representatives introduced a bill, explicitly titled Stop CRT Act, aimed at banning formations “To racial equality and diversity” provided to federal employees. One of the project leaders, the elected representative of North Carolina Dan Bishop, thus justified the urgency and the need for such a measure: ” The critical race theory is a divisive ideology that threatens to poison the American psyche. For the sake of our children’s future, we must end these efforts to eliminate the truth about the foundation of our country. “ On June 15, the leader of the Republican minority in the House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell, in turn lamented in front of his colleagues “The efforts of the Ministry of Education to promote CRT in public schools and satisfy sensitivities “Woke” [dérivé de « awake » (« éveillé »)]. And, without fear of excess, Republican Senator from Texas Ted Cruz lost his temper on June 18: “The CRT is a lie and as racist as a member of the Ku Klux Klan in [robe et cagoule] white. “

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