Critical Race Theory Isn’t Taught in Virginia
Right-wing falsity has become issue in governor's race
If Glenn Youngkin becomes the first Republican elected governor of Virginia in more than a decade Tuesday, it will be in no small part due to campaigning against the teaching of critical race theory in public schools across the commonwealth.
Only one thing: critical race theory, or CRT, is not — nor ever has been — taught in Virginia schools.
“He talks about critical race theory. Let’s be clear, folks. Critical race theory has never been taught in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He says Day One, he’s going to ban it,” Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe said Monday, to laughter, at a last minute campaign stop. “He’s going to ban something that doesn’t exist.”
The truth is that critical race theory is a mode of scholarship pursued in law schools across the country. It is not taught at the public school level.
However, that has not stopped those on the political right from co-opting the term to stand in for the teaching of often uncomfortable issues related to race and racism in US history and other subjects which right-wingers object to.
Such has been the case with Youngkin and his use of CRT in his campaign across Virginia to become the first Republican elected governor since 2009.
“Over the last year, most people have had children in their house taking virtual classes. At some point when your kid was doing math class sitting in the middle of the kitchen table, you heard the teacher say white people are evil? I don’t think anyone actually heard that,” said prominent political scientist, author and commentator, Jason Johnson. “So unless critical race theory magically appeared the moment kids went back to class, it is a lie. It is just a proxy. But it's something that he can use to gin up a certain kind of voters.
“Now, I think what's important to understand, I don't think there's anyone out there that's affected by these issues that didn't want to already be affected,” Johnson added. “Critical race theory, just like the caravan a couple years ago, just like in 2004 with Suzy has two mommies and parents were afraid that their children were going to be taught about the LGBTQ agenda. All of these things are not new.”
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