Fighting critical race theory in schools requires parents to be on offense: Kimberly Hermann
General counsel at the Southeastern Legal Foundation details how parents can fight woke education and critical race theory.
Author and prominent critical race theory advocate Ibram X. Kendi wrote an extensive essay on his daughter’s attachment to a White doll in a Tuesday piece published in "The Atlantic."
Kendi, a professor of humanities at Boston University, discussed his decision to take away a blue-eyed White doll from his one-year-old daughter, who whined, cried and threw tantrums when her parents repeatedly tried to remove the doll from her grip. The story was adapted from the newest edition of Kendi’s book, "How to Raise an Antiracist."
"Sadiqa and I were probably unduly sensitive about the whole situation. But we wondered if our Black child’s attachment to a white doll could mean she had already breathed in what the psychologist Beverly Daniel Tatum has called the 'smog' of white superiority," Kendi wrote.
Kendi explained that he and his partner were concerned, and that an "alarm was ringing" in his head because he thought his child’s preference for a White doll could be larger indication of "racial prejudice" stemming from childhood exposure to biased products and individuals.
Yorba Linda, CA, Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - The Placentia Yorba Linda School Board discusses a proposed resolution to ban teaching critical race theory in schools. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The professor also referenced a 1940s study by Kenneth and Mamie Clark who created a "doll test" in which children were asked to give the test conductor the "nicer" or "prettier" doll. Most of the children chose the White doll. The Clark’s concluded that the effects of segregation on Black children had unconsciously altered their perceptions of the dolls, and thus skin color.
After a detailed recap of the increased diversification of children’s toys and the progress of the Civil Rights movement, Kendi said that "color blindness" is not an option, and that it is never too early for parents to impress messages on their children that highlight the equality of dark and light colors.
IBRAM KENDI SUGGESTS TIM SCOTT IS RACIST FOR DENYING UNITED STATES IS RACIST
Ibram X. Kendi visits Build to discuss the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You at Build Studio on March 10, 2020 in New York City. (Michael Loccisano)
But Kendi was not just afraid of the lessons he was imparting on his children; he also wanted to discover whether his daughter’s daycare was giving his child access to a wide array of diverse toys.
"When Imani released her grip, I walked around the day care and found the large toy chests. I rummaged through the toys and did not come across a single doll that looked Asian, Native, Latino, Middle Eastern, or Black," Kendi revealed. "Every single doll I saw looked White. Anger overtook me."
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN FACES CRITICISM FOR ANTI-RACISM PLAN, REMOVES IBRAM KENDI REFERENCE
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: IBRAM X KENDI visits BuzzFeed's "AM To DM" on March 10, 2020 in New York City. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
The father concluded his daughter had not in fact chosen to play with a White doll over the dolls of color, but rather she was given no other option. He wondered how many other children only have access to White dolls and what that means about the people charged with looking after his child.
"We told the owner about the White dolls before leaving for the day. Changes came. But I had failed my doll test," Kendi concluded.
Kendi is one of the leading figures pushing for the inclusion of critical race theory in schools. The author has stated that he is a believer in systemic racism and that the only possible way to dismantle it is for America to "identify and describe it" first.