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race in America

High school student: The retaliation against CRT is a projection of parents’ biases and fears

John Fea   |  January 17, 2022

Christiane Calixte, a junior at Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, writes: “the retaliation against CRT shows that parents have no idea what students are learning — and that their protests are less about education and more about a projection of […]

The latest Christian Right critique of the 1619 Project is full of problems. Let’s break it down.

John Fea   |  January 16, 2022

Jerry Newcombe is a writer and local Florida radio host who comes out of the D. James Kennedy (Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale) wing of conservative evangelicals. He is also the president of a Christian nationalist historical organization […]

James Oakes on what the 1619 Project gets wrong

John Fea   |  January 14, 2022

City University of New York (CUNY) historian James Oakes was one of the early critics of the 1619 Project. He was part of the group of historians that agreed to an interview with historian Tom Mackaman at the World Socialist […]

A conservative defends critical race theory

John Fea   |  December 16, 2021

I spent a day with Washington Post columnist Gary Abernathy at Messiah College right before the pandemic hit. Read about it here. Since then I have read him regularly. His recent column on critical race theory is worth your time. […]

Nashville removes a statue to the founder of the KKK

John Fea   |  December 8, 2021

It was a really strange statue that one website said “accurately reflects the ugliness of its subject.” D. Patrick Rodgers’s piece at Nashville Scene is titled “Nathan Bedford Forrest Has Fallen.” Here is a taste: The Confederacy has fallen. Again. […]

Black Americans have a long history of creating spaces against violent white resistance

John Fea   |  December 7, 2021

Alicia Jackson teaches history at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Here is a taste of her Washington Post piece, “Black Americans have long envisioned and created spaces of sanctuary”: On a plot of land near Toomsboro, Ga., three dozen people […]

A David Barton disciple, Liberty University graduate, and state legislator wants to ban 800 books from Texas public schools

John Fea   |  November 22, 2021

His name is Matt Krause. He is a Texas State Representative and a speaker for Wallbuilders, an organization founded by David Barton that uses the American past to promote right-win political agendas. Here is Talia Richman and Allie Morris at […]

North Dakota bans critical race theory in K-12 schools. How should the state’s history teachers respond?

John Fea   |  November 16, 2021

North Dakota governor Doug Burgum just signed a bill that bans the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 schools. Here are a few of the pertinent sections: Each school district and public school shall ensure instruction of its curriculum […]

The 1619 Project and the latest battle over teaching history

John Fea   |  November 9, 2021

Jake Silverstein, the editor of The New York Times Magazine, has published a helpful 8100-world piece on the origins of the 1619 Project and how it has triggered the latest debate over the teaching of American history in schools. Here […]

Charlie Kirk: Democrats are letting migrants into the country because they want to diminish and decrease “white demographics in America”

John Fea   |  September 24, 2021

The evangelical nativist Charlie Kirk, a regular visitor to megachurches across the country, “said the quiet part out loud” yesterday on his radio show. Here is a clip: I have posted the video of the entire show below. The conversation […]

What is going on in the Central York (Pa) School District?

John Fea   |  September 17, 2021

Watch: The list of materials include: A pro-“Black lives matter” blog post from a New Testament professor at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. Biola is a conservative evangelical school in Los Angeles. An anti-racism article at the website of […]

Richmond’s Robert E. Lee monument will come down tomorrow

John Fea   |  September 7, 2021

Here is the Associated Press: A towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, will be taken down on Wednesday as a symbol of racial injustice, more than 130 years after it was erected in tribute to […]

Chris Rufo of the Manhattan Institute and Ralph Richard Banks of Stanford debate critical race theory

John Fea   |  August 19, 2021

Some of you may remember Chris Rufo as the guy who triggered Donald Trump’s opposition to critical race theory. Ralph Richard Banks is a Stanford University law professor. Joan Coaston, the host ofThe New York Times‘s podcast “The Argument,” moderated […]

The anti-Critical Race Theory bills keep coming

John Fea   |  August 14, 2021

Last week we took a close look at Josh Hawley’s “Love America Act.” Now we have the Protect Equality and Civics Education (PEACE) Act. The Senate sponsors are Republicans Marco Rubio, (FL), Kevin Cramer (ND), and Mike Braun (IN). Here […]

Pew Research: “Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say increased attention to the history of slavery and racism is bad for the country”

John Fea   |  August 12, 2021

Here is a taste of the recent Pew Research study: Among U.S. adults overall, 53% say increased attention to that history is a good thing for society, while 26% say it is a bad thing and another 21% say it […]

What is–and isn’t–Critical Race Theory?

John Fea   |  August 11, 2021

Recently someone asked me for a good working definition of Critical Race Theory. Delgado and Stefancic is a good place to start. I tried to summarize some of their work here. Click here for all our posts on CRT. I […]

Josh Hawley’s “Love America Act.” Let’s break it down

John Fea   |  August 8, 2021

Last week we published a post on Missouri Senator Josh Hawley’s op-ed in The New York Post condemning critical race theory and promoting his personal view of what young Americans should learn in history class. His views are encapsulated in […]

Evangelical leader Tony Evans offers “Kingdom race theology” as an an alternative to “critical race theory”

John Fea   |  July 27, 2021

Evans recently gave a two-part presentation on the subject at his Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. Here is Part 1: Here is Part 2: A couple of quick thoughts: First, Evans clearly believes in systemic racism and the value […]

A Missouri legislative committee held a hearing on teaching race and racism. No Black parents, teachers, or scholars testified

John Fea   |  July 23, 2021

Seriously? Here is Summer Ballentine at the Associated Press: A Missouri legislative committee on Monday held a hearing on how educators teach K-12 students about race and racism without hearing from any Black Missourians. No Black parents, teachers or scholars […]

What do Americans really think about critical race theory?

John Fea   |  July 23, 2021

According to an Reuters-Ipsos poll 43% of Americans said they are “familiar” with critical race theory. 30% have never heard of it. Other findings from this poll: 24 % of Americans know about the 1619 Project. 22% know about the […]

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