Understanding Critical Race Theory

*The following is an opinion piece originally appearing in the Monterey County Herald and is republished here with permission from the author, Sharon Miller.

The recent ban on Critical Race Theory (CRT) in federal diversity training misunderstands the concept. CRT, from my reading and experience, brings people together, rather than tearing them apart. It argues that such societal problems as poverty and crime are not the result of explicit racist attitudes in individuals, nor of racial differences between groups of people. Rather, they are the result of societal structures and cultural assumptions that we may not be aware of, but that pervade most every sector of life.

Listening to the stories and looking at the data and the facts make it impossible to ignore we have a huge problem that can tear our world apart. Diversity training that includes CRT can help us find understanding and then do something about inequities with the goal of achieving the liberty and justice for which all Americans aspire. It is about loving our neighbors, not hating them.

Sharon Miller

Pacific Grove, CA  93950

*Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash