Guest Post on Critical Race Theory
Timaira Hinton, Student, Howard
We almost had it. Hundreds of bands formed, belting out lyrics and notes all to the same tune. The rhythm of our feet sounded all too familiar… like the last beats they all took. We were neither predator nor prey. We weren’t even a community, as much as we’d like to say. For the first time, we were the outburst. The streams and screams that follow after the delicate question ‘are you okay?’ Our anger and sadness and bitterness had been fueled into the tank, shaking vigorously with the need to be ignited. Just one little spark… then we vanished.
During the pandemic, we were sick of everything. So sick that our fury served as immunity to what was really going around. I had never been so excited–roads started shutting down near my job so I spent chunks of my shift looking out the window at my people finally amplifying their voice, telling stories. Lines of customers grew longer as I took my time basking in Black glory; that was my own little form of protest. We were doing so good. We finally had enough; sitting and taking hits from every angle… we couldn’t take it anymore. They went from shock, to disapproval, to outright disregard. When all else fails, the best thing to do is overshadow something you can’t stop, right?
Since we were interrupted in our nearly successful order for justice, we’ve resorted to simple yet effective knowledge. We couldn’t get anything tangible out of the system, so next in line is recognition and acknowledgement of the very things we are suffering from. Critical Race Theory is a dedication to truth, the bare minimum, and the slight nod to history that unsurprisingly repeats itself over and over again. As I started to educate myself on Critical Race Theory, more specifically on its attacks, I was forced to see the true state of the world as a whole: whatever exposes the truth, and subsequently reveals to Black people their true value and the true story, will always be attacked. In addition to the ‘dethroning’ of those who benefit the greatest from such an evil system, other people who crave validation from them will be outshined, and we just can’t have that, right?
As I took the opportunity to dive into political theory, I became more grateful for my own experience. Despite the majority’s undying efforts to hide us from ourselves, we carry a key that grants us access. It is no longer up to them for us to walk into our potential, and no curriculum (or lack thereof) will prevent the truth from coming to light.
Timaira M. Hinton. Hinton served as a research assistant for Dean Kevin Johnson this summer and researched the political attacks on Critical Race Theory.
KJ