Dr. Cynthia Tyson
The Importance of Examining the Development of Critical Race Theory (CRT)
Dr. Mike Robinson: Why write an article examining the development of Critical Race Theory (CRT) when it is under attack?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: There are many misconceptions about Critical Race Theory. The topic has exploded in the public arena—especially in K-12 school districts and legislatures, where state legislatures are passing bills and debating bills seeking to ban its use in the classrooms. There is also the tendency to lean into CRT as if it is something new with no historical, theoretical lineage, which is far from the truth.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Can you explain what CRT is and what CRT is not?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a legal framework developed at Harvard Law School in the ’70s and 80’s. It asserts that racism is not just the attitude or acts of individual people but in legal systems and policies. CRT was designed to guide an examination into social systems, such as institutional policies and laws, to understand how they perpetuate and normalize systemic racism. Critically examining systems can lead to a better understanding of the origins of racial inequities. This knowledge can then be used to guide changes (policies or laws) to mitigate the inequities.
CRT is not culturally relevant teaching. This teaching approach focuses on pedagogical strategies to address the areas of academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness - affirming students’ ethnic and racial backgrounds to support gains in education. The current debate appears to spring not from the academic usage of CRT but from a fear among critics that students—especially white students—are being taught historical and contemporary facts that will make them feel guilty for their racial category. It is essential to state that, to date, CRT is not taught as a part of any curriculum in any K-12 school district.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Your article mentions that Critical Race Theory has roots in the Black Radical Tradition. What is Black Radical Tradition?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: The Black radical tradition is a rich and vibrant tapestry woven by so many Black people’s blood, sweat, and tears. The term was first introduced to us by Cedric Robinson. Robinson described it as collective intelligence developed over generations of struggle. Robinson wrote Black Radical Tradition is “the continuing development of a collective consciousness informed by the historical struggles for liberation and motivated by the shared sense of obligation to preserve the collective being” (Robinson, 1983).
Dr. Mike Robinson: Why haven’t the expanded framework of CRT that created other lenses to examine race and identity been as critically attacked as CRT?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: The expanded frameworks evolved from the foundation of CRT. Perhaps those who are leveling the attacks see these offshoots as “fruit of the same poisonous tree”. As the metaphor suggests, if the “tree” is tainted, so is its “fruit. “so no need for individual attacks on other theoretical frameworks.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Why should scholars and researchers not worry about grounding seminal and renowned historical African American scholars such as Dr. Carter Woodson, Anna Julia Cooper, Septima P. Clark, Ida Wells Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, and Mary McLeod Bethune as the founders of CRT can jeopardize their scholarly work and place them in the crosshairs of the attack on CRT? Why should we say their names, which is one of the final statements of your article?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: We should say their names because when we fail to do so, we participate in the erasure of the historical lineage of Black resistance in educational and research spaces. As I stated in the article, “The point is this: we stand on the shoulders of those “whose ideologies emerged from a particular consciousness” (Clark, 2003) – a consciousness that is the foundation of CRT. This theoretical construct examines the legacy of slavery, segregation, and the imposition of second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people of color that continue to permeate the social fabric of this nation, especially in education. We must be intentional to say their names.”
Dr. Mike Robinson: Where do we go from here with CRT? What do you see as the next evolution of understanding lived experiences, spaces, and places in the study of race in America?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: Not sure where we will go from here, but I believe we need to continue to hold this Black Radical space with our full presence dispelling the myths disseminated about CRT while simultaneously using the CRT framework to challenge and dismantle systemic racism and anti-Blackness in all areas of this constitutional democracy and the world- telling our stories of radical resistance and transformation.
BIO
Dr. Tyson’s work is both nationally and internationally recognized. As a former classroom teacher and multicultural education staff development specialist, Dr. Tyson offers insight on issues related to urban education and frameworks for teaching for social justice She has worked in the consulting capacity with school districts across the nation, the United Kingdom, Mali, West Africa, and is currently collaborating with teachers and researchers on a project in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has won several awards over her career, The Social Science Educators Young Scholar Award, The Ohio State University College of Education Diversity Enhancement Award, and The American Educational Research Association’s Mid - Career Award for her contributions to Teaching and Teacher Education.
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: There are many misconceptions about Critical Race Theory. The topic has exploded in the public arena—especially in K-12 school districts and legislatures, where state legislatures are passing bills and debating bills seeking to ban its use in the classrooms. There is also the tendency to lean into CRT as if it is something new with no historical, theoretical lineage, which is far from the truth.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Can you explain what CRT is and what CRT is not?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a legal framework developed at Harvard Law School in the ’70s and 80’s. It asserts that racism is not just the attitude or acts of individual people but in legal systems and policies. CRT was designed to guide an examination into social systems, such as institutional policies and laws, to understand how they perpetuate and normalize systemic racism. Critically examining systems can lead to a better understanding of the origins of racial inequities. This knowledge can then be used to guide changes (policies or laws) to mitigate the inequities.
CRT is not culturally relevant teaching. This teaching approach focuses on pedagogical strategies to address the areas of academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness - affirming students’ ethnic and racial backgrounds to support gains in education. The current debate appears to spring not from the academic usage of CRT but from a fear among critics that students—especially white students—are being taught historical and contemporary facts that will make them feel guilty for their racial category. It is essential to state that, to date, CRT is not taught as a part of any curriculum in any K-12 school district.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Your article mentions that Critical Race Theory has roots in the Black Radical Tradition. What is Black Radical Tradition?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: The Black radical tradition is a rich and vibrant tapestry woven by so many Black people’s blood, sweat, and tears. The term was first introduced to us by Cedric Robinson. Robinson described it as collective intelligence developed over generations of struggle. Robinson wrote Black Radical Tradition is “the continuing development of a collective consciousness informed by the historical struggles for liberation and motivated by the shared sense of obligation to preserve the collective being” (Robinson, 1983).
Dr. Mike Robinson: Why haven’t the expanded framework of CRT that created other lenses to examine race and identity been as critically attacked as CRT?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: The expanded frameworks evolved from the foundation of CRT. Perhaps those who are leveling the attacks see these offshoots as “fruit of the same poisonous tree”. As the metaphor suggests, if the “tree” is tainted, so is its “fruit. “so no need for individual attacks on other theoretical frameworks.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Why should scholars and researchers not worry about grounding seminal and renowned historical African American scholars such as Dr. Carter Woodson, Anna Julia Cooper, Septima P. Clark, Ida Wells Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, and Mary McLeod Bethune as the founders of CRT can jeopardize their scholarly work and place them in the crosshairs of the attack on CRT? Why should we say their names, which is one of the final statements of your article?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: We should say their names because when we fail to do so, we participate in the erasure of the historical lineage of Black resistance in educational and research spaces. As I stated in the article, “The point is this: we stand on the shoulders of those “whose ideologies emerged from a particular consciousness” (Clark, 2003) – a consciousness that is the foundation of CRT. This theoretical construct examines the legacy of slavery, segregation, and the imposition of second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people of color that continue to permeate the social fabric of this nation, especially in education. We must be intentional to say their names.”
Dr. Mike Robinson: Where do we go from here with CRT? What do you see as the next evolution of understanding lived experiences, spaces, and places in the study of race in America?
Dr. Cynthia Tyson: Not sure where we will go from here, but I believe we need to continue to hold this Black Radical space with our full presence dispelling the myths disseminated about CRT while simultaneously using the CRT framework to challenge and dismantle systemic racism and anti-Blackness in all areas of this constitutional democracy and the world- telling our stories of radical resistance and transformation.
BIO
Dr. Tyson’s work is both nationally and internationally recognized. As a former classroom teacher and multicultural education staff development specialist, Dr. Tyson offers insight on issues related to urban education and frameworks for teaching for social justice She has worked in the consulting capacity with school districts across the nation, the United Kingdom, Mali, West Africa, and is currently collaborating with teachers and researchers on a project in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has won several awards over her career, The Social Science Educators Young Scholar Award, The Ohio State University College of Education Diversity Enhancement Award, and The American Educational Research Association’s Mid - Career Award for her contributions to Teaching and Teacher Education.