During an “anti-racist” podcast of black educators, one of the participants suggested that black kids cannot think critically. She said that the concept of analytical/critical thinking is a Western/European way of thinking and should not necessarily be applied to “Africans”. The two other panelists on the zoom call did not say anything during her comments, but their body language looked quite comfortable.
This line of thinking is presented as “anti-racist” but if it were to come from the mouth of a white person, then it would simply be seen as racist. Especially if that white person did not identify as an “ally” of leftist social justice causes. Unfortunately, comments like the one the black educator made are not uncommon. Critical Race Theory all but mandates a regressive way of observing each racial group.
If the comments made on this “Black Educator” podcast are to be taken seriously and truly discussed, then obvious problems instantly pop up. If critical and/or analytical thinking are Eurocentric, then why are Asian-Americans performing better than whites in the United States in the areas of math and science? Research shows that Asian students typically study for a vastly longer amount of time than blacks. One study suggests black students study for an average of fifteen minutes per day while Asians study for up to two hours. So if Asians perform better than blacks and whites in America, then one could simply point to the effort and preparation gap to explain why.
To group all black students into one racial stereotype gives credence to the “race realist” crowd. These people say that black inferiority is simply genetic and no amount of teaching will overcome it. This was one of the core tenets of slavery. The thought process was that without whites, the blacks could not function at all. Therefore, their proper place was as servants for whites. This line of thinking is clearly racist. These black educators are parroting an eerily similar train of thought without even realizing it.
In an effort to become “anti-racist”, leftists often end up becoming blatantly racist. The best way for teachers to approach their students is to hold everyone to the same standard. If some students fail, then so be it. If some students succeed, then so be it. There should be no overt attempt to create favorable (or unfavorable) conditions for students based on the color of their skin. This is what Critical Race Theory aims to do and this is why it is protested nationwide.
SOURCES:
Science of Black Teaching (feat. Maria Akinyele) – YouTube
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