I remember back in 2010 when evangelicals were reading David Platt’s book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream and giving out copies to their friends. Platt is now the pastor of McLean Bible Church, a flagship evangelical […]
racism
A Missouri legislative committee held a hearing on teaching race and racism. No Black parents, teachers, or scholars testified
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?
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 […]
David Brooks asks: “How racist is America?”
For Blacks, this country is still pretty racist. For Hispanics, things are getting better. Here is Brooks: How high are the barriers to opportunity for different groups? Do different groups have a fair shot at the American dream? This approach […]
Are you a hedgehog when it comes to race?
I am not sure Lance Morrow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center fully understands critical race theory. In his recent Wall Street Journal piece he seems to equate the theory with a “single-minded ideology” that “sees racism in every […]
The battle for the public library
It looks like some conservatives are running for local library boards so they can remove books on race and racism from the stacks. And conservatives complain about something called “cancel culture.” Wow. This is what fearful people do. Here is […]
Critical race theorist: “CRT is a pretty good lens for understanding why the campaign against it has been able to spread so fast”
Gary Peller, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University, is “astonished” that his academic work is getting such attention. Here is a taste of his piece at Politico: As a law professor closely associated with the critical race theory movement […]
Conservative columnist on systemic racism: “I didn’t create these systems. But I wish I had realized earlier that these systems had created me”
Here is Wheaton College graduate and former George W. Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson: Systems had been carefully created to ensure I went to an all-White church, in an all-White neighborhood, while attending an all-White Christian school and shopping in all-White […]
Souderton, Pennsylvania debates “critical race theory”
A recent school district meeting on critical race theory in Souderton, Pennsylvania reveals just how crazy this entire debate has become. Based on Kenny Cooper’s reporting of the event at the website of WHYY (Philadelphia’s public broadcasting television and radio […]
John McWhorter on critical race theory and what is happening in schools under the name of “critical race theory”
The Columbia University professor lets it rip, as he is prone to do, at his Substack newsletter. A lot of things worth considering here. McWhorter has always made a lot of sense to me on this issue. Here is a […]
2021 Owen Strachan would condemn 2014 Owen Strachan as WOKE
Owen Strachan is an outspoken and bombastic conservative evangelical seminary professor who just published a book titled Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement Is Hijacking the Gospel–and the Way to Stop It. Here are some of his tweets […]
Michael Gerson offers a nuanced take on critical race theory
Here is Gerson’s recent column at The Washington Post: For most people, wokeness involves being mindful of the cruel and oppressive portions of American history, being alert to persistent structural racism, and being determined to right past and present wrongs. This is […]
How did local newspapers cover the Tulsa race massacre?
Get up to speed on the Tulsa Race Massacre here. The image at the top of this post is the front page of the Tulsa World on June 1, 1921: There was another edition from that day. The above addition […]
Some resources on the Tulsa Race Massacre
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Tulsa Race Massacre. If you are unfamiliar with this tragic event in American history, start here. If you want to go deeper, here are some pieces from the last few […]
“Does teaching America it’s racist make it less racist?”
Here is a fascinating discussion between Jane Coaston, John McWhorter, and Michelle Goldberg. A taste: Jane Coaston: Critical race theory. It’s a concept that originated in academic circles in the mid-1970s, but one that only hit the mainstream in the […]
A 107-year-old survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre testified before Congress
Here is NPR’s “All Things Considered”: The day that a white mob came to Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa, Okla., Viola Fletcher was just 7 years old. During emotional testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Fletcher, who is now 107, recalled […]
Does your church have a racist past?
Check out Mark Wingfield’s piece at Baptist World Global titled “What to do if you unearth a history of slavery in your church, college, or institution?” Here’s a taste: With increasing attention to the roots of American slavery in religious […]
What did anti-1619 Project U.S. senators learn about race from their school textbooks?
The Root just published excerpts of U.S. history textbooks used in schools attended by the thirty-eight Republican senators, including majority leader Mitch McConnell, who recently signed a letter criticizing the New York Times 1619 Project and critical race theory. Here […]
A Texas state representative defends the phrase “purity of the ballot box.” It does not go well.
Watch: The Washington Post has it covered: Early on in a contentious night of debate over a bill that would create newvoting restrictions in Texas, state Rep. Rafael Anchía (D) zeroed in on what he called a “peculiar term.” The bill said […]
Chicago’s DuSable Museum is getting Kamala Harris and Barack Obama hate mail
Here is Patrick Elwood at WGN-TV: The president and CEO of the DuSable Museum of African American History went public Tuesday with news of a series of threatening letters that began after the Capitol insurrection and shortly before the Biden/Harris administration took […]