>> THANK YOU.
>> LAST WEEK, FLORIDA BECAME THE
LATEST STATE TO BAN SCHOOLS FROM
TEACHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY.
CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS NOT A
SINGLE LESSON OR CURRICULUM BUT
A TEACHING A OF TEACHING
DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT PRIVILEGE,
SYSTEMIC BIAS AND RACISM.
BUT THE TERM HAS MOVED FROM THE
ACADEMIC CIRCLES INTO LAWMAKERS'
OFFICES WHETHER IT SHOULD BE
TAUGHT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
JOINING US ARE NATHAN HOFFMAN AN
ADVISOR WITH THE FOUNDATION
AGAINST INTOLERANCE AND RACISM
AND ILLINOIS STATE
REPRESENTATIVE LaSHAWN FORD
WHOSE WEST SIDE DISTRICT
INCLUDES MUCH OF THE AUSTIN
COMMUNITY.
WELCOME BACK TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
>> NATHAN HOFFMAN, HOW WOULD YOU
DEFINE CRITICAL RACE THEORY?
>> WELL, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S
AS MUCH HOW I WOULD DEFINE
CRITICAL RACE THEORY BUT AS I
UNDERSTAND IT, CRITICAL RACE
THEORY GOES BACK SEVERAL DECADES
AND IT IS BUILT ON THE IDEA THAT
AMERICA AT ITS CORE IS A RACIST
PLACE.
AND THAT THERE ARE SORT OF
PERMANENT OPPRESSORS AND
PERMANENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO
ARE OPPRESSED.
AND IN THAT CASE WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT WHITE INDIVIDUALS BEING
THE OPPRESSOR AND BLACK
INDIVIDUALS BEING THE OPPRESSED.
>> REPRESENTATIVE FORD HOW DO
YOU VIEW CRITICAL RACE THEORY?
>> YOU KNOW, BRANDIS, IT IS AN
EXAMINATION OF HOW OUR LAWS
INTERSECT WITH ISSUES AND
SOCIETY AS IT RELATES TOES ARE
AND WHEN YOU --
RACE.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT YOU
HAVE 13% OF SOCIETY BEING BLACKS
THAT BELIEVE WE NEED TO EXAMINE
HOW MORE BLACK PEOPLE ARE
INCARCERATED.
HOW THE WAR ON DRUGS IMPACTED
BLACK PEOPLE MORE.
WHY BLACK PEOPLE ARE MORE
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY
THE LAWS THAT WE HAVE.
WE HAVE TO EXAMINE THAT
CRITICALLY.
>> NATHAN WHAT IS YOUR CONCERN
WITH TEACHING CRT AS IT'S OFTEN
CALLED WITH TEACHING THAT THEORY
IN SCHOOLS?
>> I THINK MY UNDERSTANDING OF
THE THEORY, I THINK THE CONCERN
IS THAT IT IS SORT OF AN
IDEOLOGY THAT HAS LARGELY BEEN
UNTIL RECENTLY, KEPT WITHIN THE
ELITE INSTITUTIONS AND THE ELITE
POLITICAL CIRCLES FOR A MATTER
OF INTELLECTUAL DEBATE AND THE
CHALLENGE COMES IN WHEN YOU
BRING THAT INTO CLASSROOMS
PARTICULARLY ELEMENTARY AGED
CLASSROOMS WHERE STUDENTS DON'T
YET HAVE THE ABILITY TO THINK
CRITICALLY AND AT THAT POINT
LEARNING HOW TO LEARN.
WHEN YOU INTRODUCE SOME OF THESE
VERY CONTENTIOUS PIECES OF
INFORMATION IN THEORIES, IT IS
CHALLENGING AND TAKES AWAY FROM
WHAT I BELIEVE SHOULD BE THE
CENTRAL FOCUS OF EDUCATION WHICH
IS A STRONG FACE OF LIT RACELY,
MATH AND INSTRUCTION.
>> DO YOU THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
THAT STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT
AGE-APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF
CRITICAL RACE THEORY?
>> YOU KNOW, EVERY CHILD SHOULD
BE THINKING CRITICALLY NO MATTER
WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND WHAT
THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT.
WE CAN NO LONGER ALLOW STUDENTS
TO JUST GO IN AND LEARN THE
SPELLING WORDS AND JUST REMEMBER
THINGS.
THEY HAVE TO CRITICALLY
UNDERSTAND WHY THINGS ARE
HAPPENING THE WAY THEY ARE
HAPPENING.
THEY HAVE TO KNOW.
AND THAT'S WHAT CRITICAL RACE
THEORY IS ABOUT.
IF YOU TAKE AWAY RACE WE KNOW
THAT OUR FOCUS IN HIGHER
EDUCATION AND IN THE EDUCATION
IS TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS
THINK CRITICALLY.
>> NATHAN, WHY DO YOU BELIEVE
THIS THEORY HAS BECOME A
POLITICAL FOOTBALL OVER THE LAST
YEAR BUT ESPECIALLY IN RECENT
MONTHS?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT YOU HAVE A
NUMBER OF HIGH PROFILE POLITICAL
FIGURES FROM THE PREVIOUS
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
TO OFFICIALS IN CONGRESS TODAY
WHO HAVE ELEVATED THE ISSUE.
AND I THINK THE BIG CHALLENGE
WITH AN IDEA LIKE CRITICAL RACE
THEORY OR THE OTHER SORT OF
CONTENTIOUS ISSUES IT BRINGS OUT
THE WORST OF BOTH SIDES AND
POLITICS, AND IT DOESN'T ALLOW
FOR THESE TYPES OF NUANCED
CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE I THINK
THERE IS A MIDDLE GROUND AND A
WAY THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT
THIS.
IN TERMS OF I AGREE A LOT OF
WHAT REPRESENTATIVE FORD SAID
STUDENTS SHOULD BE THINKING
CRITICALLY AND UNDERSTAND ALL OF
THE HISTORY THE GOOD AND THE
BAD.
THE CHALLENGE IS IT'S BECOME A
POLITICIZED ISSUE THAT IS MORE
INTERESTED IN PERFORMANCE.
>> WHY DO YOU THINK THIS HAS
GOTTEN POLITICAL?
>> BECAUSE PEOPLE FEAR CHANGE
AND WHEN YOU BRING ABOUT CHANGE
IT'S GOING TO IMPACT THEIR WAY
OF LIFE BUT THAT IS NOT THE
CASE.
AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU IF YOU
HAVE CHILDREN AND EVERYONE WITH
CHILDREN THEY KNOW THEIR
CHILDREN SAY YEAH?
CHILDREN ARE BORN TO THING
CRITICALLY.
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE
TEACH THEM CRITICAL THINKING.
I THINK THAT WHEN YOU HAVE A
CERTAIN SEGMENT OF OUR
POPULATION WHERE EVERYTHING
SEEMS TO BE GOING WELL FOR THEM
THEY DON'T WANT TO CHANGE IT.
BUT WE KNOW THAT JUST TODAY, WE
REALIZED THAT THE CITY OF
CHICAGO AS WE SAID, WILL
RECOGNIZE JUNETEENTH.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT
DIDN'T YOU HAD THAT AND WHY IT'S
IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT.
AND THAT IS CRITICAL THINKING.
>> NATHAN IF NOT THROUGH
CRITICAL RACE THEORY WHICH IS
SOMETHING THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE
TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS HOW SHOULD
SCHOOLS DISCUSS RACISM IN THAT
HISTORY?
>> I THINK REPRESENTATIVE FORD
HIT ON A GOOD POINT THAT
JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY AND I CAN SAY
I'M NOT SUPER FAR REMOVED FROM
HIGH SCHOOL AND-YEAR-OLD
LEARNING ABOUT --
I DON'T LEARNING ABOUT
JUNETEENTH.
WHAT DOES THE HISTORY CURRICULUM
LOOK LIKE AND THAT IS A HONEST
CONVERSATION WE CAN HAVE A LOT
OF THINGS WE CAN DO FROM
DIFFERENT CURRICULUM FORMS.
THE CHALLENGE BECOMES WHEN YOU
GET TO THE MORE RADICAL PARTS OF
CRITICAL RACE THEORY WHICH LOOK
AT STUDENTS BASED SOLELY ON THE
SURFACE LEVEL DIVERSITY FEATURES
LIKE RACE AND TRY TO LUMP THEM
INTO CIRCUMSTANCES AS EITHER
PRIVILEGED, OPPRESSORS OR THE
OPPOSITE.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD STAY
FOCUSED ON INDIVIDUALS AND THE
CHARACTER AND THINGS THAT THEY
BRING AS INDIVIDUALS NOT AS SOME
SERVICE LEVEL DIVERSITY FEATURE
THEY HAVE.
>> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO TEACHERS
BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN
THE MIDDLE OF THIS, NATHAN WHO
FEEL CONTROLLED BY THE LAWS AND
LIMITED IF THEY HAD PLANS FOR
TEACHING AND CONCERNED ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT A PLAN FOR
TEACHING A PIECE OF BLACK AND
AMERICAN HISTORY MIGHT BE
TOUCHED BY A STATE'S NEW LAW
THAT BANS CRITICAL RACE THEORY.
>> I HAVE TO SAY THAT I'M
GENERALLY OPPOSED TO ANY
MANDATES THAT IS GOING TO MAKE
IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR TEACHERS
TO DO THEIR CRAFT IN THE
CLASSROOM.
I THINK WE NEED TO INSURE THAT
THERE ARE CERTAIN GUIDING
PRINCIPLES IN PLACE THAT LOOK AT
WHAT SPECIFICALLY WE NEED TO
HAVE STUDENTS LEARN IN THE
CLASSROOM BUT BESIDES THAT WE
OUGHT TO LEAVE IT TO TEACHERS TO
FIGURE OUT HOW THAT IS
ULTIMATELY TAUGHT.
>> AND REPRESENTATIVE FORD IN 30
SECONDS WHAT DO SOME OF THE BANS
IN OTHER STATES WHAT DO YOU
THINK THAT SAYS ABOUT HOW
AMERICANS VIEW RACE AND HISTORY?
>> THEY WANT TO SEE HISTORY AS
IT IS.
AND AS WE SAID ON YOUR SHOW
BEFORE, HISTORY SHOULD NOT BE
SOMETHING THAT MAKES US FEEL
GOOD IT SHOULD TELL THE TRUTH.
AND WE KNOW NOW THAT THE 1619
STRONG OUT AND PEOPLE FEAR
TEACHING THE 1619 PROJECT
BECAUSE WE DON'T TEACH KIDS HOW
TO CRITICALLY THINK.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THE HISTORY
WE'RE TEACHING WE HAVE TO
RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS FLAWED AND
IT IS BAD IF IT'S NOT ACCURATE
AND IF IT DOESN'T TELL THE WHOLE
STORY.
IT'S DOING MORE DAMAGE THAN
THINKING ABOUT TEACHING CRITICAL
RACE THEORY IN OUR EDUCATIONAL