Is the HSE School District Promoting Critical Race Theory?
Larry Lannan had HSE Superintendent Allen Bourff on his podcast on May 4, 2021. While on the podcast, Larry asked Dr. Bourff what he takes Critical Race Theory (CRT) to be. Here’s what Dr. Bourff said:
Critical Race Theory is a concept that our students are familiar with. It explains how we have come about from the origins of our country to where we are today, using slavery as an economic engine, and talking about the opportunities provided through that economic engine that was known as America for so many years.
Dr. Bourff goes on to deny that CRT is being advocated by HSE schools. He seems to think that while HSE personnel may talk about CRT in the sense of explaining what it is and “exploring” the idea, they do not advocate it.
This is all very puzzling. For one thing, CRT is supposed to be a controversial theory. But we all know very well that slavery played a significant economic role in the formation of America, and that the economic impact of slavery provided opportunities for some people while oppressing others. This is not a matter of controversy, and in fact it should be (and surely is) taught to children in HSE history classes. So, clearly, Dr. Bourff mischaracterized CRT.
Why would Dr. Bourff mischaracterize the theory in this way? I suspect the answer is that if he had accurately characterized it, it would have been clear to everyone that several of the key ideas of the theory are being promoted by the “equity work” (their term) that the district is engaged in.
What “key ideas” of CRT do I mean? Here are several, all of which can be found in the widely cited Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, 3rd ed. (NYU Press, 2017) by CRT founder Richard Delgado and his wife Jean Stefancic:
Racism is pervasive in America, appearing nearly constantly on a daily basis
Racism is embedded in our institutions and culture in a systemic way
An especially harmful form of racism is a kind that is unconsciously embedded in the psyche of each American (this is now often called “implicit bias”)
“Colorblind” approaches to racial injustice often promote racism.
Set aside for a moment whether these ideas are true. My point is that they are plainly endorsed by the HSE district. For example, the district’s “equity and inclusion” page recommends the following materials:
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019, edited by Ibram Kendi and Keisha Blain
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes what we See, Think, and Do, by Jennifer Eberhardt
“Avoiding Racial Equity Detours,” by Paul Gorski
[Edit (19 June 2021): The Gorski article has now been removed from the page, but you can see that it was on the page in mid-May at the internet archive here.]
The first of these books tells us (ideas 1 and 2) that, “Despite the many political gains and triumphs over the years, racism and white supremacy persist in all aspects of American life and culture” (p. 390). The second book explores and endorses the idea of widespread, harmful “implicit bias” (idea 3) in detail. The article by Gorski speaks disapprovingly of colleagues who encourage a “color-blind perspective” (idea 4). And these examples are really just the tip of an iceberg.
So a brief look at the district’s “equity and inclusion” page reveals that the district is advocating all four of the above-listed CRT ideas, right out in the open. I think that if Allen Bourff had accurately characterized CRT, this would have been clear to most of us even without looking at the “equity and inclusion” page. So instead Dr. Bourff made a false statement.
And there’s also this:
This is a message from an FHS teacher to her students. It looks like she is advocating CRT, or at least strongly implying advocacy of CRT, by name.
Is Dr. Bourff blind to what is going on among these sorts of teachers and on his district’s website? Is he lying? I don’t know. It does not take a genius to understand that this particular teacher is an activist who tries to “rewire” and indoctrinate her students. And it is implausible that she is the only such teacher, although of course there are also many, many good teachers in HSE who do not do this (and you should email them and thank them for that, because they need our support!). For my part, I think that Dr. Bourff probably knows what’s going on.
If I’m wrong and Dr. Bourff has just been ignorant and confused, he can easily correct the record. Why not send him an email (abourff@hse.k12.in.us) and let him know that you expect him to do so? While you’re at it, you might want to email the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Nataki Pettigrew (npettigrew@hse.k12.in.us), who claims that Critical Race Theory “isn’t used” by HSE, all the while advocating the central ideas of CRT on the district “equity and inclusion” page, which she told me she has authority over. Let’s encourage her to tell the truth as well.