Critical Race Theory Pioneer Says Republicans Creating 'Phantom Threat' to Gag Teachers
On 5/6/21 at 12:05 PM EDT
Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw made the comments to
Newsweek after GOP lawmakers in Idaho moved to ban the theory from being taught in the state's schools and universities.
The academic theory "maps the nature and workings of 'institutional racism'" in America, according to Kendall Thomas, co-editor along with Crenshaw of
Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement.
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The theory dates back to the mid-1970s, but has become a politically charged topic in recent months. In April, President Joe Biden's Department of Education issued proposals to update the teaching of American history and civics in schools, incorporating anti-racist works such as The 1619 Project and books by the historian Ibram X. Kendi.