Hey, White Allies: Embrace the CRT Controversy

There’s no better time to talk about racism in America

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Well-intentioned white allies often get trapped into unproductive conversations about race — especially when pundits, the media, and political agitators manipulate controversial topics like critical race theory to provoke divisive polarization. But there’s a better way.

Over the years, I’ve helped a number of people and organizations address the question “How much does racism matter in America?” The issue is behind so many of our most heated topics, including effective law enforcement, education policy, the modern social welfare state, environmental degradation, and more.

To create useful dialogue around this question, I teach a core conversational-management strategy called the RACE method. It looks at someone’s racism-denying statements as an opportunity, to first connect with them then pivot to the deeper issue: their views on racism. Learning to do this well in a one-on-one conversation usually requires practice — pivoting in a group or public conversation is even trickier.

Not everyone goes along with the shift since many folks are in denial about racism and/or simply don’t like to talk about it. On many issues, however, there’s also a legitimate reason for their resistance beyond simple denial…