The Seattle public school district has employed a critical race theorist who applies the controversial theory to school policies and practices as part of the district’s efforts to embed it in elementary schools.
In an explainer for “Black Studies,” a course examining black experiences from a global perspective, Seattle Public Schools notes the class includes critical race theory. According to the district, the course aims to “develop liberatory curriculum for grades K-5 that embeds Black Studies across all subjects, and to create a district-wide Black Studies course for middle and high school students that will be required for graduation from Seattle Public Schools.”
Critical race theory in schools has been a topic of national controversy for months as parents have organized to protest its inclusion in public school instruction.
Progressive activists and Democratic politicians insist the theory, which says U.S. institutions and culture are systemically racist and oppressive to racial minorities, is not taught in public schools despite substantial evidence to the contrary.
Beyond simply integrating critical race theory in its K-12 curriculum, the Seattle public school district has also employed a dedicated critical race theorist in its Department of Racial Equity Advancement.
Conrad Webster is a racial equity advancement adviser “responsible for building leadership racial capacity through a critical race theory lens to analyze common practices and procedures within SPS Central Office.”
WHITE HOUSE SAYS GOP IS LYING ABOUT CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN SCHOOLS, EVIDENCE SHOWS OTHERWISE
The department states its goal is to “maximize culturally responsive instruction & leadership to transform educational opportunities, access and outcomes for every student, in every classroom, everyday.”
The Seattle school district defines racial equity as “the condition that would be achieved if one’s racial identity no longer predicted, in a statistical sense, how one fares in society.”
The department employs five people, including Webster, who is touted as a “critical race theorist, writer, organizer, facilitator, professor, [and] education consultant” who spends his free time “on Black male empowerment, social justice, education, mental health, mentorship, business, and finance.”
According to Webster’s LinkedIn page, he has worked for Seattle Public Schools since March 2020, although the page does not mention his work related to critical race theory.
Other employees for the department have job descriptions containing language often associated with critical race theory, such as “institutional racism,” “antiracism,” and “dismantling the systems of oppression.”
The Manhattan Institute’s Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist who has helped organize the movement against critical race theory in schools, also noted the academic framework is explicitly included in a course at Ballard High School in Seattle.
Ballard High School even has a course that explicitly teaches critical race theory. They’re not even trying to hide it. pic.twitter.com/MDXb2VSONo
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) November 22, 2021
“The argument that ‘critical race theory isn’t in K-12 schools’ is an obvious farce—and, luckily, voters see right through it,” Rufo said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Webster and Seattle public school districts did not respond to a request for comment.
