By: Beth Moore, M.ED.
This week I was at a County Commissioners meeting. I was disheartened by what I heard around the school budget and only funding them at the maximum amount if the school board wrote a policy saying they would not teach Critical Race Theory. This is problematic on a few levels. First, I am not convinced the Commissioners have a good understanding of what Critical Race Theory is, because if they did, it would be a non-issue for our K-12 classes.
Here is the true definition: Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a 40-year-old academic concept. The fundamental idea is that racism is a social construct, and that it is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but embedded in legal systems and policies.
According to the American Bar Association CRT is not diversity and inclusion “training” but a practice of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that emerged in the legal academy and spread to other fields of scholarship. This is not taught to children, it is taught in advanced PH.D programs and law school.
Ok – So if you know that this theory is not being taught in our k-12 schools, the issue gets even more problematic. Critical Race Theory seems to have become some kind of code for not teaching anything about systemic racism.
The commissioners wanted facts – well here are a couple:
The oppression of an entire race of people for hundreds of years is fact. White people, specifically white men, created ALL of the systems we know today with bias. The systems are working exactly how they were designed, for white people. If we do not look at, critically think about and change policies, procedures and mindsets that harm people of color we are perpetuating racism- fact.
Until race is not an indicator of outcomes there is still systemic racism.
There were a few things brought up about white fragility. White people do not want to think of themselves as being complicit in perpetuating racism, however that is happening every time we “whitewash” history, or say things like “let’s all just get along and not talk about anything divisive.” That is what people are talking about when they say “white privilege.” As white people the privilege to not have to talk about racism or how it effects daily life is inherent. Our friends of color do not have that privilege- race is always operating.
Until race is not an indicator of outcomes for humans it is still operating.
There was also talk about indoctrinating students- well yes- that is what the banning of teaching anything divisive is. The very thing that brings us together is understanding, tolerating and accepting other’s point of views. When we discount the viewpoint of people of color, because we do not like what is being said or because it is uncomfortable to hear about how harmful racism truly is, we are perpetuating racism.
Good teaching can be divisive. Do we not still have debate teams? Complex issues are sometimes divisive- but the critical thinking part of teaching is to take those issues and solve them. History is often ugly and many mistakes are made at the expense of others. Our entire Country was founded on the destruction of indigenous people and succeeded economically because of the enslavement of people of color. We should not want past harms to continue to harm, yet every system has worse and worse outcomes for people of color.
Until we listen to the experiences of people of color and work to change the systems that caused those harmful experiences, systemic racism will continue to hurt our community.
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How much racism did you see among the kids in the daycare you used to run?? NONE! Because it is not a systemic problem. Kids love everyone and do not see each other with color until we teach it to them. Keep your CRT crap out of the classrooms.
Really? I mean really??? And we live in color blind America..read a book.
Exactly 100 percent spot on. Racism and Hate are taught.
Beth Moore, M.ED. is a liberal democrat period. She is also anti Trump and is working to bring liberal progressive agenda’s to Johnston County via the school system. She fully supports CRT and supports just cutting loose the bad people aka POC. She is a liberal activist who is pushing the left wing agenda.
Being a liberal democrat has NOTHING to do with teaching CRT. CRT is just fact. Systemic racisim is fact. White people benefit from systemic racism. Why should kids not learn about systemic racisim in school? Why do you want to hide this? Please give ACTUAL answers. Calling me a liberal is not a well-educated response so try again before you type that.
Liberalism is a racist system created by whites. In fact Ms. Moore, Liberalism has killed more blacks than any single system in America.
It was liberals who first brought and used slaves in America.
It’s largely democrats who fought in the Confederate Army.
Jim Crow laws we’re championed by Democrats. Jim Crow himself was a democrat.
During the 1800s forced sterilization (Eugenics) of blacks was championed by Democrats.
The KKK was created by Democrats.
The Democrat party was the last political party to allow black Americans to run for elected positions.
The 1994 Crime Bill was authored by Joe Biden and signed into law by Bill Clinton, both Democrats.
Margret Sanger, a notorious liberal who began Planned Parenthood for the purpose on population control among blacks. Today Planned Parenthood is murdering over 300,000 black children every year. In fact, since it’s inception Planned Parenthood has murdered more blacks than were killed during America’s 80 year history of slavery.
Currently, Joe Biden is responsible for higher priced food, fuel and medicine and sky rocketing inflation. Which minority groups, Ms. Moore, do you think his racist policies will impact the most?
It’s not white people that are the problem. It’s unchecked liberal ideologies that have and continue to do the most harm to minorities in America.
American history is rife with examples of Democrats run amuck and destroying lives and livelihoods of people they feel are beneath them.
So, when are we going to put the Democrat party to bed and end liberal ideologies for good in America? The Democrats have done enough damage, we certainly don’t need them to step in now and attempt to right their wrongs using systemic racism and systemic misandry.
Well said!
Exactly 💯 spot on.
…..but it is white people that are the problem. Even if all of those groups were created by democrats, they were created by WHITE democrats. Do you think a black person created the KKK? Do you think a black person went over to Africa and loaded people onto the ships? Good god. Also, if you read a history book, the democrats and republican ideologies have switched over the years. If you took the people from back then that were democrats, they would probably be republicans today. Yes, CRT needs to be taught in schools because systemic racisim is a thing that WHITE people have created and benefited from.
Actually…the first slave traders in Africa were Africans. So there’s that.
Good point Tonto. The largest number of Africans who wound up on slaves ships to the Americas were in fact sold/traded to western slave traders. Africans also sold other Africans to slave traders from other parts of the world.
There were black plantation owners who owned African slaves. There were also Native Americans who owned African slaves.
I’m flummoxed by liberal fanaticism with singling and punishing only white males.
Just take a look at the skin color of the person writing this op-ed oppressing us with her warped
and vengeful views.
Just stop. Black Americans don’t need people like you speaking on our behalf. You’ve done enough. Thank you.
Thank you Ms. Moore for your thoughtful and thorough analysis of what CRT is and is not. It is a mystery as to why folks think CRT will be taught in K-12 grades when it will not.
Why did the school board dance all around with evasive side stepping answers when directly asked if CRT would ever be taught?
Johnston County Report reached out to School Board Chairman Todd Sutton for a comment on Commissioner Smith’s statement today. In an email late this afternoon Sutton said, “We are appreciative of our strong relationship with the Johnston County Commissioners and the work that they do to further education for our students. Johnston County Public Schools currently does not have an instructional model that teaches Critical Race Theory. Our district is dedicated to academic excellence and to teaching to the standards outlined by our state.”
And the state BOE just introduced social studies standards incorporating CRT so he is correct they are using state standards and now he has a great talking point without lying about teaching CRT in our schools.
Under the new standards, high school American history students will learn to “explain how slavery, xenophobia, disenfranchisement, and intolerance have affected individual and group perspectives of themselves as Americans.” Students must also “compare how some groups in American society have benefited from economic policies while other groups have been systemically denied the same benefits.”
A yes or no answer was called for. The reply of we are currently not teaching CRT is a very open ended response.
So, you are not convinced the Commissioners have a good understanding of what Critical Race Theory is. Well there are many more who would disagree with you.
Saying that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a 40-year-old academic concept does not give it credence. And saying that it is embedded in legal systems and policies is totally inaccurate. We have come a long way in our country to ensure all are equal and treated fairly, even to the point where a reverse bias could be validly argued.
You are quite correct that CRT has spread to many fields of scholarship and is taught in advanced (if you want to call it that) PH.D programs and law school. It is a poison to divide and stir up a nation that has one of the greatest justice systems in the world.
The oppression of Blacks and even others that had been going on for hundreds of years is a fact. I was taught those facts in school way back in the fifties and it is still being taught today. It is history and it is over. To say that White people, specifically white men, created ALL of the systems we know today with bias is ludicrous. The systems today are working in fairness to all. We do not need to look up and stir up minds with garbage. That is fact!
When you say that “until race is not an indicator of outcomes there is still systemic racism”, you are dead wrong. I must inform you that many of those you talk about have done quite well, love this country and are happy to reside here. There are many other factors you need to consider as an indicator of why people and races do not do as well. How about looking at broken families, lack of proper parenting and an enabling government that does little to provide incentive to those who need it most. Yes, I am talking about a government that you obviously support.
You appear to be part of the “woke” crowd that infests this country. You have learned well your ways in liberal schools that exist all over this land. People with common sense, decency and God’s influence know better than the trash that is now being taught in our higher institutions that gave you your degree. To me and many others, it is worthless if you do not have truth.
We indoctrinate students when we deny the truth. Satan was a deceiver. Need I say more? God does not tolerate lies and deception but He predicted it would come. He advised us to stay away from such nonsense. He told us to stay on the narrow path and avoid the wide path that leads to destruction.
I am sad that you obviously believe what you profess but your foundation is not stable or well grounded. I pray that you may see the truth and take your own advice by listening to the many around you.
There’s a price to pay for the sins of our fathers, and all of America will pay a price, every race will answer to their sins. So it doesn’t matter who hides their head in ground, who silent or complicit, as the old folks used to say, it will all come out in the wash. MAY GOD FORGIVE AMERICA.
God does not hold us responsible or accountable for the sins of our fathers. He teaches us to sin no more and move on.
Deuteronomy 24:16, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.”
I’m wondering when Ms. Moore will resign from her position so a person of color can have her job thereby creating a healthy and inclusive environment for equity that was stolen and molested by HER ancestors.
I’ll wait, but I won’t hold my breath. 🙄
“White people, specifically white men, created ALL of the systems we know today with bias”
I bet the Uighurs would be surprised to learn this.
Yasss! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
As a black man I want to say that this white woman does not speak for me. I’m not one of her “friends of color” as she puts it. I’m not oppressed. Systemic racism doesn’t exist today in the US. Just another white knight trying to speak on behalf of minorities. Get over yourself.
Thank you for saying this!!
https://youtu.be/8Zy6DQoRYQw
The author should view the link above, review the historical cost of racial division through the civil war and MLKjrs efforts to abolish racism. Finally, the author needs to confess their love of socialism and or communism that CRT was designed to aide.
PragerU, short for Prager University, is an American far-right, 501 non-profit media company that creates videos on various political, economic, and sociological topics from an American conservative perspective.
Far-right is banned from nearly all social media. PragerU’s presence in YouTube says it is not as far-right as you believe. Don’t get me started on the lack of banning of far-left (like drag queen reading hour).
I would much rather hear Candace Owens or another conservative “person” of color speak on this. I think “people of color” are more than capable of speaking for themselves.
And this is why my child will not be in public school
Simple, EVERYONE today has an equal opportunity to success, with maybe a slight advantage going towards any minorities . Scholarships, jobs etc… But that does not mean everyone should be rewarded with the same outcome. You want something, work for it, dont expect a handout based on some past racism.
It scares me so much as a citizen of the USA to know that a person with a Master’s degree in Education can be so uneducated. How many white men do you see on TV putting down other races? None! How many black leaders do you see on TV telling the nation that they are oppressed? Lots! It is they who preach oppression that keep the people oppressed. If they would stop telling everyone they are being held down, they would eventually realize that no one is holding anyone else down. I speak for many when I say that we as a nation want everyone to succeed, no matter what color their skin may be. No one cares anymore that there WAS a division in our country because of color except those who want to KEEP the division that was done away with many years ago. The Bible says when it rains, it rains on everybody’s head. That’s the way most of feel. I’m not going to say there aren’t still some prejudice people around. That will never go away no matter what we do or say. Ignorance on their part does not make us all guilty!
Please stop teaching our children that racism is abundant when the teachers are the ONLY reason why it is. In 20 years, if this doesn’t stop, the next generation is not going to know any better because they will have heard it through all of their formative years. Jesus’ final commandment, and the only one that matters since He died for us, is to love one another as He loves us. That should be so simple, no matter what color someone’s skin is. The Jews, God’s chosen people, were slaves for over 400 years in Egypt, and then again to the Romans, but none of them preach oppression to each other nor hold the Romans or Egyptians accountable for what happened in the past. If anyone, they should hold a grudge, but they don’t. God, bless America! (note the comma)
This commentary mirrors the one she wrote awhile back. White woman desiring to feel good about herself.
I wonder what Rev Dr. Wendy Ella May would think of this
Poor Beth buys that liberal, socialist kool-aid by the 55 gallon drum.
LOL!
Maybe criticizing the commissioners that just gave your place of employment $50,000.00 for the past couple of years isn’t the smartest move for Ms. Moore to do. I get that everybody has opinions on the job performance of elected officials, but if you’re asking them for more money than a lot of people in Johnston County earn in a year, maybe it’s time to keep that opinion to yourself.
As a born and bred 65 year resident of this county I for one am appalled by the replies of our residents to the truth this highly intelligent woman has stated. The replies alone has reconfirmed my belief that she is correct. It actually gives me hope that there are people on this county who actually understand the his tory of this county, this state, and this country.