View NJPAC's CRT YouTube

It you missed the "The Trials of Critical Race Theory" you can view the recording here.

A message from NJPAC:

This incredibly timely conversation, moderated by Dr. Durrel Cooper, on a hotly contested topic focused on three things: first was defining what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is, the second, distinguishing the difference between race and racism, and the third was how we can advance CRT in our society. Each of our panelists felt it was important to lay out exactly what CRT is - that it's not in fact a theory but rather evidence and facts - and why it has so much opposition. 

Dr. Marvin Lynn explained that CRT is an analytical tool that is used to ground understanding about racism, it is a method to tell the stories of marginalized people which draws upon history and documentation. Dr. Thandeka K. Chapman explained that education is ground zero for CRT and remarked on how important it is for schools to teach the stories of marginalized people and that racism and bias are systemic. Professor Norrinda Hayat noted how CRT's opponents refuse to even teach Black history and the contributions of Black people in the United States. Dr. Lynn also spoke about how the notion of democracy in this country was flawed from the beginning because it was founded on the exclusion of people of color. Linda Carter echoed that point and advised a return to civics - meaning that if people understood more about how the government functions and what democracy is, we would have a better and more equitable foundation and more capability to hold government accountable to all people. 

One of our attendees said "It’s gonna take generations, but the work is helping people realize and ADMIT that the system is wrong," which we can't echo enough. Our panelists encouraged everyone to join school boards, teach racial history to our children, and advocate for CRT at every level.