Emeritus English and history professor Harvey J. Graff, Inside Higher Education, August 2, 2021, casts the conservative attack on critical race theory as racist, based on falsehoods and a threat to free speech rights of students and teachers. Contrary to their claims, there is no evidence that current teaching about race teaches white youth to hate America and see themselves as racist. “A firm grounding in an accurate and complete American history,” writes Graff, “is the basis for self-knowledge, maturation and the common understanding on which a democracy is built. American history is complicated, and the American experiment with democracy is ongoing. Race is a central component in that history.”
A number of state legislatures have introduced bills that would forbid teaching of “divisive concepts” or compelling students to adopt certain ideas about race. Critics of these efforts fear that they will stifle discussions about race in public schools, undermining academic freedom and free speech rights. (The Atlantic, May 7, 2021, by Adam Harris)