Texas Library Association Hosts Critical Race Theory Speaker

The Texas Library Association kicked off its annual conference Monday with drag queens and continued this morning with “Critical Race Theory’s Chief Marketing Officer,” Ibram X. Kendi.

Kendi, director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, also authored “How to Be an Antiracist,” which skyrocketed in sales following the 2020 “Summer of Love” (or riots). Kendi’s latest books, “How to Raise an Antiracist” and “Goodnight Racism,” will hit shelves across the country in June so that “kids can construct a new world.”

According to a TLA Twitter post, Kendi spoke on the importance of representation and “diversity” in literature.

“Diversity” and “inclusion” are both innocuous-sounding terms that often hide tenets of critical race theory, the hotly contentious racist ideology that teaches individuals should be punished or promoted because of the color of their skin.

What is CRT?

According to the definition of CRT provided by the UCLA School of Public Affairs:

CRT recognizes that racism is engrained in the fabric and system of the American society. The individual racist need not exist to note that institutional racism is pervasive in the dominant culture. This is the analytical lens that CRT uses in examining existing power structures. CRT identifies that these power structures are based on white privilege and white supremacy, which perpetuates the marginalization of people of color. CRT also rejects the traditions of liberalism and meritocracy. Legal discourse says that the law is neutral and colorblind, however, CRT challenges this legal “truth” by examining liberalism and meritocracy as a vehicle for self-interest, power, and privilege.

Critical race theory does not promote equality but rather equity. Accordingly, racial equity focuses on equality of outcomes rather than equality of opportunity.

“When I see racial disparities, I see racism,” Kendi said in a New York Times article.

Kendi’s solution to the problem of racism as he sees it is an anti-racist amendment to the U.S. Constitution “that enshrines two guiding anti-racist principals: Racial inequity is evidence of racist policy and the different racial groups are equals” as well as the creation of a Department of Anti-racism.

The Department of Anti-racism would be “comprised of formally trained experts on racism and no political appointees. The DOA would be responsible for preclearing all local, state and federal public policies to ensure they won’t yield racial inequity, monitor those policies, investigate private racist policies when racial inequity surfaces, and monitor public officials for expressions of racist ideas. The DOA would be empowered with disciplinary tools to wield over and against policymakers and public officials who do not voluntarily change their racist policy and ideas.”

Besides promoting an extreme level of control over government, Kendi is also vehemently anti-capitalist.

“The life of racism cannot be separated from the life of capitalism,” Kendi says. “In order to truly be antiracist, you also have to truly be anti-capitalist.”

Meanwhile, Kendi accepted millions of dollars from tech and pharmaceutical companies to fund his antiracist center.

Did the Texas Legislature ban CRT from classrooms?

In the second special legislative session last year, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 3, which prohibits teachers from using materials based in CRT and instituted a new civics training program for educators. Even so, the wording is vague and the legislation lacks a solid enforcement mechanism.

Last October, State Rep. Matt Krause (R–Haslet) released a list of 850 questionable books found in school libraries. The books either included sexually explicit scenes or, like Kendi’s book, racist CRT teachings.

Notably, despite Senate Bill 3, school officials are still working the ideology into classrooms. For example, a San Antonio elementary school separated children into classes of “oppressed” and “oppressor” based on hair color. The children were reportedly disturbed and upset by the exercise.

“White children are taught that they perpetuate racism, whatever their feelings. Black children are taught that love of reading and writing, and the use of reason, are elements of white culture,” says Mike Gonzalez, Heritage Foundation senior fellow and author of “BLM: The Making of a New Marxist Revolution.” Gonzalez added, “And all children are taught that America is a hideous place.”

Meanwhile, Texas taxpayers are subsidizing their local librarians’ attendance at the TLA conference in the taxpayer-owned Fort Worth Convention Center, where librarians are railing against book challenges from parents, celebrating transgenderism in children, and listening to Kendi spout CRT.

One librarian announced her excitement for Kendi’s speech and promotion of social justice to elementary-aged children.

Parents seeking to protect their children from these woke ideologies in schools are also stuck paying for them via property taxes. Property tax appraisals are out and school bonds—which will raise property taxes even more—-have been announced.

Texas Scorecard recently released an explainer on protesting property tax appraisals that can be found here.

Concerned taxpayers can contact their local school board to find out if they’re paying to send their local librarian to the TLA conference.

Sydnie Henry

A born and bred Texan, Sydnie serves as the Managing Editor for Texas Scorecard. She graduated from Patrick Henry College with a B.A. in Government and is utilizing her research and writing skills to spread truth to Texans.