Condoleeza Rice condemns teaching critical race theory
The former secretary of state and national security advisor slammed the teaching of critical race theory in U.S. schools as a step backwards in the country's conversation about race.
Condoleeza Rice, the former U.S. secretary of state under George W. Bush, condemned critical race theory, telling the co-hosts of The View that it was not good to put down white kids to uplift black kids in schools and colleges.
Rice was the first black woman to assume the role of secretary of state, and the first woman to serve as national security advisor.
Rice’s remarks come as school districts and universities across the country grapple with making critical race theory a part of the education syllabus. As previously reported by Rebel News, polling data shows that parents of every racial and political background oppose the application of CRT in the classroom.
Critical race theory proposes that racism is not a matter of “if,” but “how.” Under that lens, everything is racist, but how it’s racist is something one has a duty to identify and call out.
“So the governor's race in blue-leaning Virginia is being seen as a barometer for which way America will swing in 2022 in the midterms, and one of the key issues up for debate is how much of a voice parents should have in their child's school curriculum, especially when it comes to subjects like sex education and critical race theory. I thought they didn't teach critical race theory in school, they went to like law schools or something,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg began.
“I sure hope not,” Rice replied. “Because I'm not certain seven-year-olds need to learn it.”
Co-host Joy Behar interjected, pointing out her own experience as a teacher to state that teachers have a curriculum they must follow and that if parents had an issue with the school curriculum, they ought to homeschool their children.
Rice sparred with Behar, arguing that teachers should not have to make white kids feel bad to empower black kids.
“Well, they're actually homeschooling them in increasing numbers. And I think that's a signal,” Rice rebutted. “First of all, parents ought to be involved in their children's education. Their children are in school seven hours, that's a very formative period. And I think parents ought to have a say. We used to have parent-teacher conferences. We used to have PTAs. There are lots of ways for parents do be involved, and they should be.”
Rice explained that she grew up in a time when the South practiced racial segregation, attending segregated schools in Birmingham, Alabama until she moved to Colorado, where she earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver.
“My parents never thought I was going to grow up in a world without prejudice,” Rice said. “But they also told me, that's somebody else's problem, not yours, you're going to overcome it. And you are going to be anything you want to be. And that's the message that I think we ought to be sending to kids.”
“One of the worries that I have, about the way that we're talking about race, is that it either seems so big that somehow white people now have to feel guilty for everything that happened in the past,” Rice added. “I don't think that's very productive, or black people have to feel disempowered by race.”
“I would like black kids to be completely empowered to know that they are beautiful in their blackness,” Rice said. “But in order to do that, I don't have to make white kids feel bad for being white. So somehow, this is a conversation that has gone in the wrong direction.”
Goldberg responded to say that teachers should not shy away from teaching the problematic parts of history — repeating a common claim made by proponents of critical race theory who argue that the theory is necessary to enable white students to confront their privilege.
“I have no problem with letting people know what happened,” Rice replied. “Yes, but let's remember history is complex, right? Human beings aren't angels now and they weren't angels in the past. And so how we teach about our history is also important.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin disagreed with Rice, claiming that parents opposed to critical race theory “don’t want children to hear about the real history.”
“Come on now,” Rice said, dismissing Hostin. “People are being taught the true history, but I just have to say one more thing: It goes back to how we teach the history. We teach the good and we teach the bad of history. But what we don't do is make seven and 10-year-olds feel that they are somehow bad people because of the colour of their skin.”
“We've been through that, and we don't need to do that again for anyone,” Rice concluded.
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