Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza

Learn about critical race theory.

"Our social world, with its rules, practices, and assignments of prestige and power, is not fixed; rather, we construct with it words, stories and silence. But we need not acquiesce in arrangements that are unfair and one-sided. By writing and speaking against them, we may hope to contribute to a better, fairer world.” 
– Critical Race Theory: The Cutting Edge (Third Edition)

Happy Monday. After a series of incendiary tweets, many people are asking about what critical race theory is, and how far the president will go to polarize the nation on the issue of race. Today's newsletter dives into the impact of these recent events and what we can do to keep the conversation moving forward.

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Nicole

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Reflect on the following questions, common to critical race theory work:

  • What is the significance of race in contemporary American society?

  • Where, in what ways, and to what ends does race appear in dominant American culture and shape the ways we interact with one another?

  • What types of texts and other cultural artifacts reflect dominant culture’s perceptions of race?

  • How can scholars convey that racism is a concern that affects all members of society?

  • How does racism continue to function as a persistent force in American society?

  • How can we combat racism to ensure that all members of American society experience equal representation and access to fundamental rights?

  • How can we accurately reflect the experiences of victims of racism?

Source: Purdue, which also has a comprehensive overview of critical race theory.

 

Research both presidential candidates’ agendas for racial equity. Choose one proposed policy by each candidate, and use the same questions for more critical inquiry.

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By Nicole Cardoza

Last Friday, Trump worked to cancel anti-racism trainings held by government agencies, a move that was widely shared on his social media. In a memo, the director of the Office of Management and Budget tells the agencies to “begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on ‘critical race theory,’ ‘white privilege,’ or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil” (NYTimes). This action was sparked after a conservative activist was featured on Fox News segment that argued that these diversity trainings are “racist,” and “systematically attack the unifying ideals of this country” (CNN).

 

But these accusations aren’t accurate. Critical race theory is a school of thought designed to help identify and understand how racism plays a part in our society. It doesn’t say that everyone is racist, but that racism is a part of everyday life for people of color and unpacks how racial bias influences our conscious and unconscious responses. Although it began as an academic theory, critical race theory is widely taught and studied cross disciplines, including education, sociology, and law. 

 

Some of the key themes within critical race theory include topics like institutional racism, microaggressions, reparations, determinism, intersectionality, and white privilege (JSTOR). It encourages criticism of liberal anti-racism ideas, like colorblindness and affirmative action (Harvard). And it emphasizes that creating spaces for communities of color to share their stories is necessary for growth. Critical race theory has influenced the approach I’ve taken with this very newsletter. Explore our archives to find many of these topics covered in previous newsletters. And if you’re interested, you can find a more comprehensive overview of critical race theory via PDF here.

 

More variations of critical race theory have evolved to focus on specific ethnic/racial groups, or intersectionalities within ethnic/racial groups, including critical race feminism (CRF), Latino critical race studies (LatCrit),[50] Asian American critical race studies (AsianCrit), South Asian American critical race studies (DesiCrit), American Indian critical race studies (TribCrit), and disability critical race studies (DisCrit). 

 

Before we discuss the broader implications of this change, we need to recognize its immediate impact. The federal government is the largest employer in the nation, employing nearly 9.1 million workers, or 6% of the total employment in the United States (The Hill). If these trainings do cease, they could negatively impact the workplace culture and the diversity of its staff. 

 

Also, studies prove that federal contracts are disproportionately awarded to white-owned businesses, which has increased over the past twenty years (Washington Post). Not only will removing these trainings prevent leaders internally from being equipped to address these disparities, it eschews responsibility from fair and equitable practices moving forward.

 

And this has broader implications for our nation’s conversation on race. In some ways, this comment from Trump is nothing new; Trump’s social and political career has been shaped by his perception of race throughout the past decades (NYTimes). And in the past few months alone, he’s incited violence, denounced the Black Lives Matter movement, dismissed police brutality, and fueled anti-Asian racism during COVID-19, for starters (Vox). 

 

But this action doesn’t just denounce marginalized communities and acts of injustice, but the concept of racism itself. Instead of delegitimizing movements towards racial equity, it’s as if he aims to eliminate the idea altogether. Regardless, it detracts from the racial reckoning that our country is fighting for, and is likely to incite more contention in a time where revolution is essential now more than ever.

 

Denouncing a theory doesn’t change the facts. It only emphasizes them. Racism is enough of an issue in the U.S. to drive political leaders to infer that it isn’t, which is why we need to continue to stay in inquiry with this work. 

 

It feels a bit counterintuitive to write this; if you’re reading this newsletter, you’re clearly still part of the conversation. But nevertheless, we need to stay in dialogue – not about racism itself, but the actions we’ll take to transform this nation and provide justice for all. Because the how is the only part of the conversation that will move us forward. And we deserve to have clear and constructive steps outlined by both candidates as we head to the polls this November.

key takeaways

  • Critical race theory is a school of thought that analyzes how racism persists in social and political systems

  • The Trump administration aims to remove diversity trainings that use critical race theory, which impacts the federal government and conversations on race as a whole

  • Trump has fueled racism and divisiveness to maintain and gain power.

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Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza

Pay attention to the Portland protests.

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Pausing our Sunday series on COVID-19 to address the urgent protests rising across the country. It feels important to address the historical context and implications of what’s unfolding on the ground right now. Especially since this newsletter was started as a "work in protest" in response to the death of George Floyd. Get updated on the latest news and its historical context.

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Nicole

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TAKE ACTION

1. Support the Black Portland Youth Movement raising funds to support protestors on the ground.

2. U.S. Residents: Get clear on your city's stance on federal agents, and contact your local representatives to discourage egregious intervention by federal agents.

GET EDUCATED

Protests swelled across the country last night in support of Black Lives Matter and against federal policing. Local Portland police called last night’s protests a riot, deploying tear gas (KGW8). An intense protest in Seattle resulted in 45 arrests and 21 wounded officers (Seattle Times). An Austin protestor was shot and killed (Statesman). A police station in Oakland was vandalized (ABC News). Meanwhile, Trump is sending more federal agents to Seattle and D.C. (Business Insider). Although the Trump administration aimed to quell protests by adding police, there are more people on the street in Portland now than ever before (Vox). And this rise in activity nationwide may indicate that there is much more tension to come. 

The administration is also planning on sending federal agents to Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, and possibly other major cities, including New York and Philadelphia, to deal with increases in gun violence (The Nation). Chicago, for example, is now on track to have its deadliest year regarding gun deaths since 2016, and local organizers believe the compilation of the protests, COVID-19, increasing unemployment rates, and distrust in police are all contributing factors (NYTimes). Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot initially expressed concern over the presence of “secret, federal agents,” but, after speaking to Trump, invited them to come, pending that they work in conjunction with local law enforcement (Time). This program, called “Operation Legend,” has been criticized as ineffective, and considered more of a publicity stunt that comprehensive change (Washington Post).

The protests in Portland have been fueled by its people still grappling with the city’s dark history of racism. The mid-1800s were a divisive time for the region, as settlers traveled west on the Oregon Trail, dissatisfied with the tensions over slavery on the East Coast. Although some brought freed Black people and liberal views, most were committed to creating an all-white society. Consequently, laws passed to prohibit slavery. Black people were ordered to leave the region. And those that didn’t were to be “severely whipped by not less than twenty or more than thirty-nine stripes” every six months until they left (Oregon Secretary of State). The KKK thrived here, becoming major voices in the local government and ensuring further racial discrimination. In 1923, the state passed the Alien Land Law that banned Japanese land ownership, despite the fact that Japanese Americans already only held less than one percent of Oregon land in 1920 (Oregon Secretary of State).

Although these laws have since been reversed, their lasting impact is still seen in Oregon’s capital. Portland is currently the whitest city in the country (out of the country’s largest 30 cities) with 72% of its population classified as non-Hispanic white (NYTimes). Today the average income level for Black families in Portland is nearly half that of white residents (NYTimes).

“The xenophobia, the racism, the caustic narrative that has been fomented at the national level are also having an impact here and adding to that legacy here in Oregon”.

Dani Ledezma, the interim executive director of the Coalition of Communities of Color, for the NYTimes

Critics note that this historical exclusion of Black people and other people of color has made it difficult for the state population to recognize and act against racial discrimination (University of Oregon). And even now, as the Trump administration plays out a political agenda on the streets of Portland, Black leaders worry that these protests, with overwhelmingly white crowds, may co-opt the conversation around race, leaving the needs of the Black community and other people of color behind (The Guardian).

Before federal agent intervention, protests in Portland were steady, but diminishing in scale. After weeks of protests and political action by citizens, sparked by the death of George Floyd, the City Council passed a budget that cut $15 million from the police budget for the upcoming fiscal year (Oregon Live). The head of the Portland Police Bureau stepped down, and a federal judge enacted a ban against tear gas used by local law enforcement, except when life or safety was at risk (NYTimes).

Some of these federal agents are from the Federal Protective Service, a uniformed security police division of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The agency is designed to provide security at federal properties, and agents have been sent to Portland, Seattle, and D.C., to guard statues, monuments, and federal property as protestors topple them (that we reviewed in a previous newsletter). But the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, a subset of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, was seen in their camouflage uniforms beating and detaining protestors (Business Insider). And their tactics of brutal force, lack of identification, and appearing and dragging people into unmarked vans, is disproportionately targeting immigrant communities and communities of color (NYTimes).

Federal policing is against the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, which states that “powers not granted to the United States were reserved to the States or to the people” (JUSTIA). But the Department of Homeland Security does have the right to assist local law enforcement, and since the Trump administration passed an executive order protecting American monuments, there is legal ground. The DHS authorized this initiative themselves in a document published on July 20 (Lawfare). And if this weekend’s protests are any indication, we can only expect tensions to increase. Learn more about the legality of this intervention in this New Yorker interview with Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a CNN contributor.

Beyond the demonstrators on the ground, many people are calling for justice. The Oregon state attorney general sued on behalf of the protestors, U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman said the state “lacked standing” because the lawsuit was a “highly unusual one with a particular set of rules’ (Time). But the U.S. District Judge Michael Simon blocked federal agents in Portland from dispersing, arresting, threatening to arrest, or targeting force against journalists or legal observers at protests, in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Oregon (ACLU).

It’s clearly unsettling that a movement founded in advocating for equitable law enforcement has led to federal agents patrolling cities with little oversight. And protests are a critical component of how a democracy advocates for change. If it weren’t for protests, we wouldn’t have made as much progression the critical issues of race in our time. It’s critical we protect our right to protest in this unprecedented time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Protests are rising because of the federal agents the Trump administration is sending to major cities

  • The forefront of this conversation is happening in Portland, a city with a dark history of racism

  • Federal policing is against the Tenth Amendment

  • Protests are a key component to change

RELATED ISSUES

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

Read More