Have battles over critical race theory had a ‘chilling effect’ in Charlotte classrooms?
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Proposed laws to ban a project published by The New York Times. Screaming matches at school board meetings. Protests outside school district offices.
The debate over how America’s history with race and racism is taught in schools has ignited in recent months across the country, including in North Carolina. Much of the controversy has surrounded the concept of critical race theory — an academic framework for examining the intersection of race and law.
Critical race theory isn’t taught in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, but that hasn’t stopped the debate over whether it and other concepts related to race and racism, should be.
For Charlotte’s Black students and educators, it’s been a reminder of the continued struggle to establish equity in education. It’s also caused them to think more about their own experiences in classrooms and what they want to get out of their classes.
‘A chilling effect on educators’
Former North Carolina Teacher of the Year James Ford said it can be nerve-wracking for educators to talk about issues that are being hotly debated.
“It’s had a chilling effect on educators, I won’t lie to you,” Ford said of the public battles of critical race theory and social studies curriculum. “Because, you know, nobody wants to lose their job. And so it’s been an intimidation campaign and misinformation campaign.”
Within that “campaign,” he said, many educational philosophies have “very intentionally been misconstrued.”
“What they’re calling critical race theory are really just Black and brown perspectives on society and on the country. And the attempt to criminalize that is not anything new,” said Ford, who taught history at Charlotte’s Garinger High School for years.
Despite controversies, Ford said, his experience in the classroom is that having discussions about topics such as race, racism and inclusion can help keep students engaged.
“You talk about making instruction relevant to the kids you’re dealing with. They know what’s up, and they’re seeking an explanation to better understand the world around them,” he said. “And so when you deprive them of that, you rob them of the ability to be really good interpreters of current events.”
‘Putting emphasis on our Black history’
Malachi Thompson, a sophomore at West Charlotte High School, told the Observer how Black history is taught has been a topic of discussion among his classmates as parents and politicians made headlines for debating critical race theory.
“Particularly last year when the pandemic first started, we were talking about some things happening in our social studies classes and how we don’t hear a lot about Black history,” he said. “We hear about, of course, the legend Dr. King and what he has done for our society, but we don’t hear those other leaders who helped bridge the gap to where we are today.”
This school year, Thompson said he’s seen teachers at his school doing more to incorporate Black history into their lessons, during Black History Month and beyond.
“They have been putting emphasis on our Black history,” he said. “Not just showing us people like the legends Rosa Parks and Dr. King but so many people we don’t know, people we don’t see.”
At South Mecklenburg High School, junior Sidney Griffin said she is “learning more about slavery and the after-effects than (she) had in previous years” in her Advanced Placement U.S. History class.
“My teacher is very adamant about including resources about slavery and incorporating those into our lesson plans,” she said.
Still, she told the Observer, she worries that her peers not in AP classes aren’t getting the same level of instruction.
“I just find that really interesting, how that is only highlighted right now in an advanced class,” she said. “My biggest concern is the students that are taking standard or even honors American History: Are they still getting that same coverage and the opportunity to learn more in-depth about these critical issues in our country’s history?”
Junior Veronica Bofah described her peers at Harding University High School as people “who care about ensuring that Black history is taught properly in our education.” In that vein, she said discussions in her classes have largely yielded positive results despite outside noise.
“... They’re trying to be more careful with the conversations that we have,” she said of her teachers, “but it’s definitely very positive, and it’s had a lot of good feedback.
“A lot of the students are responding well to how my teachers are including Black history in our curriculum. … The teachers are being able to teach that type of diverse curriculum in a more positive light because of all the debates that have been happening recently.”
‘History is just fundamental’
Ford, who now serves as executive director of the Center for Racial Equity in Education, said teachers should focus on ways to “invite critical thinking” and “multiple perspectives that still honor what’s historically accurate.”
His advice to teachers in the midst of the critical race theory debates, he told the Observer, is to “hold true to the mantle of the profession.”
“Just hold fidelity to the true spirit of this profession, which is, we’re guides,” he said. “We’re guides to help navigate difficult discussions, and anybody who doesn’t believe in that doesn’t really believe in education.”
Bofah, who helps lead the Charlotte chapter of the national organization Diversify Our Narrative, said she’d like to see teachers backed up by their curriculum, their school board members and political leaders.
“I definitely do believe strongly that there could be more in our curriculum,” she said. “What we’re working on right now is trying to get our board to do more about diverse curricula.”
Griffin, too, said she’d like to see Charlotte schools making it easier for more students to learn about Black history as well as Latinx history and other topics by introducing them in earlier grades and making sure they’re not just elective courses.
”... In order to see more progress, and for our society as a whole to be more educated on the topics of race and injustice, we need to learn that that history is just fundamental,” she said.
Thompson said as a member of his school’s student government and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council, he’s conveyed similar ideas to school board members, telling them that in his experience, teaching kids about history from a young age can help them to not be “blindsided” when they get to high school and beyond.
“I want to make sure that they’re keeping those things in mind, not only starting in our high schools but starting off in our elementary schools. Teaching the kindergartners what their legacies are, teaching the first graders, second graders and third graders.”
As districts consider what to do next, Griffin said she hopes those making noise in the debates take the time to learn about the subjects they’re speaking on.
“... Lawmakers and people who are opposed to critical race theory and Black history in general are probably the ones that need it the most,” she said. “Because we need these different perspectives in order to see progress in our society.”
