Critical Race Theory, the Education of America’s Youth, and a Danish Library
In June of 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a bill with the aim to ban the teaching of “critical race theory” in Texas schools. This bill came as part of a nationwide debate that began in September of 2020 when conservative journalist Christopher Rufo appeared on Fox News and “described [Critical Race Theory] as a radical ideology sowing racial division through education,” (Borter) going as far as to call it a “existential threat to the United States” (Rufo). Rufo’s description of critical race theory (CRT), a teaching which originated in law schools to analyze the presence and effect of systemic racism in U.S. law, as a device for alienating the children of America is centered in a misunderstanding of CRT, and with the help of the high racial tension in America, this misunderstanding was able to sweep the nation.
Now the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas has begun to take action to ban books that discussed sex, race, and sexuality, with many schools and libraries having already taken books off the shelves. These smalls towns are citing recent Texas legislation regarding Critical Race Theory which says schools may not teach lessons that could makes students feel, “discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress” because of their race (House Bill 3979). In Southlake, parents and administrators created a rubric by which books are to be judged. The rubric demands that books offer “balanced information” free of bias from the author as well as multiple perspectives that “reflect a variety of experiences” (Carroll ISD). However, it is clear that the purpose of the Carroll Independent School District’s restrictions on books is not about avoiding bias or offering a fair perspective, but rather it is about preventing honest and critical discussions about issues of race, sexism, sexuality and any other issue that doesn’t align with the conservative political agenda of many parents and administrators. This reality is made clear by the selective enforcement of the new rules put in place. At Johnson Elementary School, a student brought home a book titled “This Book is Anti-Racist,” which discusses societal racism and the action children can take against such racism. But when Sarah Muns, the student’s mother, discovered this book, she took to social media demanding this book be removed from classrooms and had Rickie Farah, the teacher who had provided Muns’ child the book, investigated and reprimanded by administrators. (Hixenbaugh) Such action has pushed other teachers to remove similar books from their shelves such as “The Hate You Give,” “Separate is Never Equal,” and “A Good Kind of Trouble,” all of which address issues of racism in the U.S.
While it may seem that reform to the Texas education system is the obvious solution to this issue — after all, discrimination is most often sourced in ignorance, making education the clear solution. However, one will quickly realize how difficult actualizing this solution proves to be. In this paper, I will show why more traditional methods of anti-discrimination education reform fails and why, instead, the Carroll Independent School District should look towards Denmark’s model of the Human Library as a viable solution to the bigotry that has seized its education system.
What makes the current situation in Southlake particularly troublesome is that the solution to this problem is tied to the problem itself. See, the harsh opposition of CRT and other discussions of racial issues stems from something called “covert discrimination,” the idea that a prejudiced person may not directly admit to their prejudices or act in an obviously prejudiced manner but that this prejudice emerges in the form of condemning anti-discrimination policies. In a study by the Scottish Centre for Social Research, only 10% of subjects said that they would be unhappy if a relative married a black or Asian person and only 4% that a black or Asian person would not be a suitable teacher, yet 23& said that action to give more equal opportunities to black and Asian people have “gone to far” (Bromley et al 5). At the Carroll Independent School District, this “gone too far” response can be seen in the ban of “critical race theory” and in the legislation that prevents the teaching of any lessons that may cause students “discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress” because of their race, a rule designed to silence those speaking out against discrimination. This is where the problems and solutions of the Carroll Independent School District become troublesomely intertwined. See, it is bigotry, a problem born from ignorance, that has caused Texas and the Carroll Independent School District to push lessons about discrimination out of their schools, and therefore the solution requires the admonishment of such bigotry and ignorance. However, when these bigoted perspectives are in control of the education system, the issue becomes much more tricky.
To solve the problems of bigotry within the Carroll Independent School District, we must find a solution that is possible within the current confinements of Texas legislation and the policies of the CISD. Thus, no lessons can be taught that may make students feel any discomfort on the basis on race and no books or other material with any noticeable bias or lack of “balanced perspective” can be used. At the Human Library in Denmark people from diverse backgrounds and experiences volunteer to act as human books. At this four day annual event, a person can ‘borrow’ these human books who will then share their experiences on often challenging topics, such as struggles stemming from their race or sexuality. Most importantly, the library acts as a safe space that works toward understanding. This idea is backed by a multitude of studies which show that human interaction is often among the most, if not the most, effective way of challenging our own inner-biases and growing in our understanding of those who seem different than ourselves. While adhering to the requirements of the CISD to avoid lessons that may cause race-sourced discomfort or the use of unauthorized teaching materials, Denmark’s model of the Human Library and its use of intergroup contact is the most effective means of fighting the prejudices within the CISD.
The use of intergroup contact is highly effective in combating prejudice. As previously discussed, prejudices and bigotry often come from places of ignorance. With intergroup contact, not only is education available through conversation, the sharing of stories, and other means of communication, but moreover attacks the very idea of differences that define prejudice. When people meet face-to-face and truly learn about one another, it becomes more much difficult to adhere to the differences that one may think separated themselves from other groups and the immense common ground that each of us share become far clearer. In a meta-analytic test based on 515 studies, it was found that “greater intergroup contact typically corresponds with lower levels of intergroup prejudice” and that “94% of the studies reveal an inverse relationship between contact and prejudices of many types” (Pettigrew and Tropp 766). This evidence shows that the intergroup contact is a highly effective method of combating prejudice between groups. Put simply, the principle by which the Human Library functions successfully fights prejudice. But while intergroup contact may be an effective means of fighting prejudice generally, will it be effective in places such as Southlake where such prejudice is more prominent?
In fact, intergroup contact proves most effective when used on subjects with high levels of prejudice. Intergroup contact operates by bringing different groups together, a process that would be most different for those who have the least cross-contact with those who are “different” in their daily lives, a trait commonly seen in those with high levels of prejudice. Research by Dr. Hodson of Brock University on uses of intergroup contact found that “Those high on the prejudice-relevant individual difference variables clearly benefited from increased contact quantity and from positive contact experiences” while “low scorers on the prejudice-relevant individual difference variables sometimes benefited from contact and sometimes did not” (Hodson 155). In other words, intergroup contact shows positive results on those with higher levels of prejudice more so than it does on subjects with lower levels of prejudice. Hodson further states that this result may be due to the fact that more prejudiced individuals may otherwise avoid intergroup contact which could explain why effects of this contact is then increased (Hodson 157). For instance, a white Christian male from Southlake, Texas would be most susceptible to prejudices against a middle eastern Muslim woman if that man had little knowledge of middle eastern society or the Islamic faith and would see far more differences than similarities between himself and this woman. In such cases, intergroup contact proves to be especially successful.
Yet another crucial attribute of the Human Library is that this safe space with a focus on opportunities rather than requirements for growth avoids the pitfalls of anti-discrimination efforts that emphasize differences. Many typical diversity-training programs, such as those used by employers, call attention to the differences between groups in an effort to reduce discrimination. In Dr. Paluck of Yale University’s review of diversity training, it was found that a focus on differences can actually increase prejudice by highlighting differences and can reinforce the differences felt by minority participants (Paluck 589). This research shows that fighting prejudice with an emphasis on differences sets up a harmful atmosphere for all parties involved. Such an atmosphere is not only detrimental but also violations Texas’s legislature by causing emotional distress on the basis of race. Thus, the Human Library offers a far superior means of combating racial prejudice than traditional anti-discrimination options.
With the installment of an annual event similar to Denmark’s Human Library, the people of Southlake, Texas and the CISD can help fight the prejudices that they current hold. The results will likely not be instantaneous, few things are, but with persistent effort toward growth, the region will surely grow in their acceptance of and compassion for others. Similarly, each of us must consistently join in the fight against prejudice. Each of us is subject to our own prejudices and inner-biases, and we should not condemn one another nor ourselves for these. After all, hate is the core source of prejudice, and there is only one way to truly combat hate, no matter what form it takes. Thus, we must instead constantly hold ourselves and those around us accountable for our actions and constantly work to better ourselves. By living in this manner, we can not only change the Southlakes of the world, but we can prevent such situations from arising in the future.
Works Cited
Borter, Gabriella. “What ‘Critical Race Theory’ Means and Why it’s Igniting Debate.” Explainer. 22 September 2021. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/what-critical-race-theory-means-why-its-igniting-debate-2021-09-21/
Bromley, Catherine, Curtice, John, and Given, Lisa. “Attitudes Towards Discrimination in Scotland: 2006 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey.” Scottish Government Social Research. no. 1, 2007, pp. 1–8.
Elessner, Kim. “The Human Library is Tackling Diversity and Inclusion One Person at a Time. 13 July 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/07/13/the-human-library-is-tackling-diversity-and-inclusion-one-person-at-a-time/?sh=4783edb74fd0
Hixenbaugh, Mike. “Southlake, Texas Schools Restrict Classroom Libraries After Backlash Over Anti-Racist Book.” NBC News. 8 October 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/southlake-texas-anti-racist-book-school-library-rcna2734
Hodson, Gordon. “Do Ideologically Intolerant People Benefit From Intergroup Contact.” Sage Journal. vol.20, no. 3, 2011, pp. 154–159.
Paluck, Elizabeth L., “Diversity Training and Intergroup Contact: A Call to Action Research.” Journal of Social Issues. vol. 62, no. 3, 2006, pp. 577–595.
Pettigrew, Thomas F., and Tropp, Linda R. “A Meta-Analytic Test of Intergroup Contact Theory.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. vol. 90, no. 5, 2006, pp. 751–783.
