For most of my life, I consciously chose not to read the writings of Black authors because I just didn’t see the relevance for me. Naturally, I’d read about the horrors of slavery, and gained inklings of contemporary racial injustice. But I didn’t see the need for a “Black History Month.” What more was there for me to learn, anyway? I’m one of those white liberals Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about from Birmingham Jail.
Two years ago, that changed. The universe nudged me into an expanded reading list. I’m just beginning to see how relevant those Black writers’ stories are to me. I’m seeing the world differently. I’m seeing Black people differently. I’m seeing myself and my white enculturation differently. And this “different seeing” is a good thing. It’s lifting a load of guilt while opening my eyes to appreciation, accountability, responsibility and possibility.
I’m seeing the world through the lens of “critical race theory.” And it’s nothing like John Basich (“Teach virtue in history,” Our Readers’ Views, Feb. 19) describes it, in form or content. If Basich digs deeper, he will find that CRT does support exactly what he advocates: recognizing heroic efforts and cultivating virtue, including the virtue of self-awareness.
