Aspects of Critical Race Theory, an academic framework that views society and people through the lens of race, are now taught in many IU undergraduate classrooms. The ideology has made its way all across campus, reaching from the College of Arts and Sciences to the Kelley School of Business.
The basic tenets of CRT are the understanding of race as a social construct invented by whites of European descent to justify the oppression and exploitation of people of color; the belief that racism in the United States is deeply embedded within all of America’s laws and institutions; the notion that people of color are victims of negative stereotyping that impacts their ability to function on a daily basis; the acceptance that any and all disparities in income, educational outcomes, health outcomes, incarceration rates, etc. between whites and people of color are the result of racism; and the conclusion that “reverse racism” or “antiracism” is necessary to counter the effects of the systemic racism currently permeating American society.
The critical race theorist Cheryl Harris, for example, has proposed seizing private property and wealth and redistributing it along racial lines. And, Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, has proposed a federal Department of Antiracism meant to have the power to nullify, veto, and abolish any law at any level of government that is deemed insufficiently antiracist. Kendi has also posited that “In order to truly be antiracist, you also have to truly be anti-capitalist.”
Not only has this ideology infected K-12 schools, but undergraduate professors across the country are also incorporating elements of Critical Race Theory into their lectures regardless of its relevance to the courses they are supposed to teach.
Indiana University has not been immune to this trend in higher education. According to multiple sources, IU Business Law and Ethics Professor Angelica Guevara stated in one of her BUS-L 375 Ethics and the 21st Century Leader classes that she supports Critical Race Theory and thinks it should be taught in every college institution. The sources also accuse Guevara of incorporating CRT into her lectures. Guevara denies such allegations, though one of her listed areas of expertise is Disability Studies & Critical Race Theory.
In lecture slides received by The Crimson Post, Guevara addressed alleged “income disparities” that exist between people who are victims of various levels of “oppression.” The slides defended misleading statistics that purported to demonstrate various wage discrepancies as solely attributable to race and gender differences. The slides did not reference that these statistics are considered misleading by many economists and that the wage gap narrative is heavily disputed.
A central element of Critical Race Theory is that disparities in income along racial lines are due to systemically racist policies.
IU Management Professor Sheri Walter also incorporates elements of CRT into her classes. On day five of her BUS-Z 370 Management course, Walter shared a screenshot of a quote stating, “White privilege doesn’t mean your life hasn’t been hard; it means that your skin color isn’t one of the things making it harder.”
In another lecture, she devoted significant time to going over the concept of microaggressions. She argued that racism is so engrained in our everyday language that women, minorities, and other allegedly oppressed people feel marginalized by unconscious slights and put downs. Walter cites the work of psychologist Derald Sue who has written two books on microaggressions and co-authored a paper attributing the ideas of color blindness and meritocracy to white supremacy. Sue has claimed that microaggressions are one way of how our legal and political systems are allegedly built to keep minorities down, an essential theme of Critical Race Theory.
After insinuating that anyone who is not a straight, white male is a victim of microaggressions in day-to-day life, Walter proposed ways to counteract said racism in the workplace by referring to an article from the Harvard Business Review, titled, “Be a Better Ally.” Ideas include actively trying to include more diversity in meetings, becoming a confidant to people of color, and sponsoring marginalized coworkers. Walter did not respond to The Crimson Post’s request for a comment.
According to course materials obtained by The Crimson Post, IU History Professor Janine Giordano Drake teaches Critical Race Theory in her class, HIST-A 112 American Diversity: A History. Drake requires her students to read The 1619 Project, an initiative by The New York Times that “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” The predominant claim of The 1619 Project is that the colonists declared independence in 1776 largely to protect the institution of slavery.
Despite the premise of The 1619 Project having been debunked by numerous scholars and historians, Drake co-authored an article for the National Council for the Social Studies with New York University Professor Robert Cohen in which they both justify teaching The 1619 Project in, not only college, but high school as well. According to the article, “There is no good reason to wait until college to introduce students to the paradoxes and debates at the heart of our American story.” Drake and Cohen argue further that introducing students to The 1619 Projects allows them to examine U.S. history through a lens that fosters critical thinking.
While Critical Race Theory may not explicitly be taught on an undergraduate level across IU’s campus, its central themes are reflected in many undergraduate classrooms, only a few of which have been examined here.