Navigating the Complex Landscape of Critical Race Theory
At American Seekers Academy, we share an opposition against the efforts to divide one another due to the polarizing nature of identity politics and critical race theory that seem to permeate into every sector of our lives. We take to our faith in the Declaration of Independence, that the equal right of every individual to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is endowed to all. Identity politics places people in perpetual conflict with each other and by teaching the importance of self-government, we hope to help a generation out of dependency by demonstrating the value of accountability.
Helpful Links
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What Is Critical Race Theory?
To understand fully what critical race theory is and how to identify its offsprings we have to look towards Marxism and the ideologies that fuel it. Marxism is a far left political movement that sets out to divide the people in order to eliminate capitalism and usher in a socialist society. Originally, the main focus of division was economic between the capitalists and the workers in order to create a workers revolution to overthrow capitalism. This type of revolution was seen in multiple countries in the 20th century including, Soviet Union, Cuba and China. These socialist governments are responsible for more than 200 million deaths and rising. Today, this ideology is called by many names, “identity politics,” “equity,” “CRT,“ “social justice,” “diversity and inclusion,” and “culturally responsive teaching.” Marxism thrives undercover, disguised as inclusivity, a sinister strategy to exhaust one’s critical thinking, forging “group think” to reduce creativity and competitiveness.
Historical Roots:
The Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, argued that the focus should not be on economic revolution as much as taking control of the institutions that shape culture. Gramsci was an important influence on the thinkers of the “Frankfurt School” in Germany who developed a set of revolutionary ideas, one being called Critical Theory. The Frankfurt school (aka The Institute of Social Research) was moved to New York City’s Columbia University in 1933 when schools were forced to close in Germany under Nazi control. Herbert Marcuse, one member of the Frankfurt School who immigrated to the United States in the 1940s, became the intellectual godfather of American identity politics. Marcuse focused not on instigating class conflict but on cultural conflicts around racial identity.
Dangers of Identity Politics
Progressives hold that truths are not permanent but only relative to their time. Instead of securing fundamental rights grounded in nature, relativism, the soul of Critical Theory, unleashes chaos within a society and like battling a virus, civilization as we know it will either grow stronger by unifying its defenses or fall apart completely. Members of oppressed groups are told to abandon their shared civic identity as Americans and think of themselves in terms of their sexual or racial status. They must reject, not affirm, the Declaration’s understanding of self-government. Then if members of oppressed groups want to become free, they must rely upon a system of rewards and privileges.
The largest teachers’ union in the United States, “National Education Association,” endorsed a program created for “a new uprising for racial justice” which teaches globalism, transgender and queer affirming agendas to children as young as kindergarten age and promotes ideology that believes we are born racist.
ASA Rejects Any Ideology That Contradicts America’s Founding Principles
Adhering to our free nation’s founding principles, we believe that all people are created equal and deserve equal opportunity based on their individual drive and ambition. By providing the very best source for homeschool education, students will have the tools needed to pursue happiness and overcome their unique, individual challenges.
Terms that critical race theory hides within:
- Abolitionist teaching
- Action Civics
- Anti-racism
- Anti-bias training
- Anti-blackness
- Anti-meritocracy
- Centering or de-centering
- Collective guilt
- Colorism
- Conscious and unconscious bias
- Critical ethnic studies
- Critical pedagogy
- Critical self-awareness
- Critical self-reflection
- Cultural appropriation/misappropriation
- Cultural awareness
- Cultural responsiveness
- Culturally responsive practices
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
- Diversity focused
- Diversity training
