Propaganda is a part of life, a shitty part but a part nonetheless. Regardless of what political side a person takes, the propaganda comes from all directions. Old media – newspapers, television, and radio – carried propaganda as much as the news. New media – social media, blogs, YouTube, etc. – takes propaganda to new heights by allowing it to flourish within social bubbles. People are not just exposed to propaganda, they live in it. They experience it so much that they can no longer tell the difference between propaganda and facts. What’s more, political opportunists without morals will lie about certain things that they know their audiences are predisposed to oppose. No subject in my lifetime has been misrepresented so badly and so falsely as Critical Race Theory, also known as CRT. The political right’s current efforts to ban CRT stem from the fact that they don’t know what CRT really is. Into this fray steps Victor Ray, professor of sociology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Ray has written an introduction to Critical Race Theory for non-academics. On Critical Race Theory educates; it does not seek to refute the lies and misrepresentations. Instead, it presents the subject for what CRT truly is. On Critical Race Theory is a much needed look at the complexity of our society in a time when anti-democratic forces are trying to simplify in order to demonize.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
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TL;DR
On Critical Race Theory introduces the non-academic to the field of Critical Race Theory. Victor Ray identifies key topics in accessible essays that prepares the reader for the ideas being debated among scholars. Dr. Ray’s clear and concise writings make these complex topics easier for the non-academic to understand. It’s a much needed bit of education for those of us trying to counter false narratives about CRT. Highly recommended.
From the Publisher
What exactly is critical race theory? This concise and accessible exploration demystifies a crucial framework for understanding and fighting racial injustice in the United States.
“A clear-eyed, expert field guide.”—Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of Thick
From renowned scholar Dr. Victor Ray, On Critical Race Theory explains the centrality of race in American history and politics, and how the often mischaracterized intellectual movement became a political necessity.
Ray draws upon the radical thinking of giants such as Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to clearly trace the foundations of critical race theory in the Black intellectual traditions of emancipation and the civil rights movement. From these foundations, Ray explores the many facets of our society that critical race theory interrogates, from deeply embedded structural racism to the historical connection between whiteness and property, ownership, and more.
In succinct, thoughtful essays, Ray presents, analyzes, and breaks down the scholarship and concepts that constitute this often misconstrued term. He explores how the conversation on critical race theory has expanded into the contemporary popular conscience, showing why critical race theory matters and why we should all care.
Review: On Critical Race Theory by Victor Ray
On Critical Race Theory is a starting point. It is not the be all, end all of CRT, nor does it claim to be. Instead, it seeks to introduce non-academics to the topics that Critical Race Theory studies. In addition, Dr. Ray presents the readers with the foundational scholars who developed the field. The book is broken up into ten chapters, and each chapter focuses on one aspect that forms the root of CRT work. My arc has the following chapter names: “The Social Construction of Race,” “Structural Racism,” “Colorblind Racism,” “Racial Progress,” “Interest Convergence,” “Whiteness as Property,” “Counternarratives,” “Racialized Organizations,” “Intersectionality,” and “Identity Politics.” Each section is short but packed with good information and, of course, backed up with citations, as any good academic writing does. Also, each chapter starts with one or more quotations that summarize the chapter as a whole. On Critical Race Theory can be read quickly, but it’s worth taking the time to delve into the arguments Dr. Ray is making.
Chapters are further broken down into sections with their own headings. These section breaks highlight the arguments that will be coming. In addition, each chapter uses a mix of data, theory, and personal narrative to support Dr. Ray’s argument. To be clear, personal narrative doesn’t necessarily mean drawn from Dr. Ray’s life. Instead, personal narrative is a powerful tool that CRT uses to capture stories of discrimination and its repercussions. I found each chapter to be powerful and persuasive.
Debunking CRT's Critics
Dr. Ray does not seek to debunk CRT’s social media critics with his book. He realizes that its impossible to debunk lies because they will create more lies. It’s not possible to debate someone arguing in bad faith as most of the CRT critics on the political right are doing. For example, CRT is not being taught in elementary, secondary, or even high school, and when asked for evidence of it, the political right switches the conversation to something else because they cannot provide evidence to support their position. In the rare event that they do provide ‘evidence’ it turns out to have nothing to do with CRT as it really is. Dr. Ray’s goal is educate those willing to be educated, and he succeeds.
I’m not going to engage with CRT’s bad faith critics either. I do want to point out how many of their arguments center on white people’s reactions. They worry that white children will feel bad if they have to learn about America’s history. However, they never worry about how black children feel when they have to learn about how society treats black people. The white backlash to CRT focuses on white people, not black people.
The Social Construction of Race
Race, as we understand it, is not a biological reality, any more than blondes are a different species than brunettes. Simple exterior differences like hair, skin, or eye color do not change the interior. The differences that we amplify are meaningless in the grand scheme of things but are, unfortunately, not meaningless in terms of society. Society places value on differentiating skin tone because it has benefited the rich and powerful to do so. Arbitrary racial divides allow poor whites to feel superior over someone and not question why their wages are so low. Politicians use racial animus to terrify their constituents and create engagements. This is what CRT means when it says race is a social construct. Dr. Ray put it as the first chapter of his book, and all the following chapters depend on this one landing. It works well as a foundation for what follows but also as a basic clarification of CRT’s purpose. It’s looking at social issues as opposed to biological ones. It’s looking at society at large rather than individual actions.
Prior to reading this book, I struggled with the concept of race as a social construct. (I probably will for a long time.) I didn’t really understand what “social construct” meant because skin color is a visible difference. But Dr. Ray’s chapter clarified things in a way that will stick with me. This chapter was challenging while maintaining the language of the non-academic. Dr. Ray doesn’t write down to his readers but also doesn’t expect his readers to have a minor in sociology to understand him. He finds the right way to challenge the non-academic reader to learn without being too preachy or having too much jargon.
Will CRT Make Your Kid Feel Bad?
Banning CRT Proves It Speaks Truth to Power
As praise for this book, Jason Stanley, author of How Fascism Works, writes, “Regimes ban books when the books explain what is actually happening. Everyone who reads Victor Ray’s book will emerge understanding that this is exactly why critical race theory is being banned.” Mr. Stanley is 100% correct here. On Critical Race Theory describes in clear, easy to read essays complex societal interactions and injustices. It looks at historical facts like the Dred Scott case, redlining, differences in medical outcomes by race, voter suppression, etc., to see how these things came about, how they still affect us today, and how they cause racial divide. It looks at the founding of this nation and sees that slavery was codified into the constitution. It looks at the Tulsa race massacre that isn’t taught in schools and the “violent overthrow of a duly elected government, by a group of white supremacists” in Wilmington, North Carolina. CRT asks why the white mobs were not held accountable. How did they get away with it? It asks how did the reaction to reconstruction give the nation Jim Crow laws? How did our free society allow racism to be written into law?
In other words, CRT and, specifically, Dr. Ray’s book expose the dark side of U.S. history. It doesn’t allow us to imagine ourselves as a paradise of freedom upon the world stage. Nor does CRT allow us to say that these things were one-offs, aberrations, or temporary. CRT shows that even well meaning people can perform racist actions in a system with structural racism. CRT’s critics argue that police can’t be racist if there are black police. But that doesn’t explain the disparities in policing the black community and how racialized organizations can bring about racist outcomes despite the people in the organization not being racist.
Politics in our era – maybe for every era – is creating simple, unrealistic solutions to complex societal problems. Note this is different from policy that gets enacted. Politics is divorced from policy, which is why individuals like Elizabeth Warren, who has detailed policies, fail to capture public imagination. A politician’s job, whether we like it or not, is to present simple, short-term solutions to create the belief that electing them will fix society’s ills. But true healing is never simple or short term. It’s a long process, and to begin it, the patient needs to reconcile that there is a sickness. The U.S. has never, and maybe will never, reconcile with the fact that we were a nation born with the original sin of slavery. We had a chance with Reconstruction, but racism won that day. Critical Race Theory doesn’t let us bury our head in the sand. It forces us to confront that original sin and its effects through the years. CRT tells us that the solutions are complex. No politician wants to hear that. Voters on the political right don’t want to lose their place in the racial hierarchy. Voters on the political left don’t want hear that politics is more complex than class warfare. Voters don’t want to be challenged, and that’s what CRT does. Banning CRT shows that ideas are dangerous to those in power, and that the status quo depends on voter ignorance.
White Privilege
Conclusion
Victor Ray’s On Critical Race Theory introduce CRT to the non-academic. This book is filled with excellent introductions to complex topics and resources for further learning. In a more sane world, this book wouldn’t be needed. In this world, it serves an important purpose, giving people an accurate idea of what critical race theory is. People can debate its merits, but this book is sorely needed to counter all the bad faith arguments that exist. Victor Ray’s On Critical Race Theory is a book I’ll be reading again. Highly Recommended.
On Critical Race Theory by Victor Ray is available from Random House on August 2nd, 2022.
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