critical race theory

noun

: a group of concepts (such as the idea that race (see race entry 1 sense 1a) is a sociological rather than biological designation, and that racism (see racism sense 2a) pervades society and is fostered and perpetuated by the legal system) used for examining the relationship between race and the laws and legal institutions of a country and especially the United States

Critical race theory essentially forces legal scholars to ask questions, she [Kimberlé Crenshaw] continued. For instance, why does possession of less expensive drugs carry higher jail sentences than more expensive drugs? Could this have anything to do with the fact that more people of color are in prison? "It is a way of looking at law's role … facilitating, producing, and even insulating racial inequality in our country, ranging from health to wealth to segregation to policing," said Crenshaw …

—Columbia News

Critical race theory is a field of intellectual inquiry that demonstrates the legal codification of racism in America. Through the study of law and U.S. history, it attempts to reveal how racial oppression shaped the legal fabric of the U.S. Critical race theory is traditionally less concerned with how racism manifests itself in interactions with individuals and more concerned with how racism has been, and is, codified into the law.

—David Miguel Gray

also : a movement advocating the examination of this relationship

Ultimately, the liberal defense of critical race theory ignores an aspect of the movement that many of its founders considered fundamental: the "desire not merely to understand the vexed bond between law and racial power but to change it," as the editors of "Critical Race Theory" [Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement] wrote. … Critical race theory is not merely about making a better historical document but about movement toward the way things could be.

—Lauren Michele Jackson

—abbreviation CRT

critical race theorist noun

plural critical race theorists

Many CRT scholars had witnessed how the law could be used to help secure and protect civil rights. Therefore, critical race theorists recognized that, while the law could be used to deepen racial inequality, it also held potential as a tool for emancipation and for securing racial equality.

—Janel George

Examples of critical race theory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In August, the board voted 4-1 to prohibit certain types of instruction related to critical race theory and social and emotional learning. —Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

No matter how loudly some Americans yell about them, neither the promotion of transgender rights nor the banning of critical race theory is a matter of national security. —Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2024

Rufo, a conservative activist known for criticizing critical race theory, claims that Haim approached him with evidence that Texas Children's Hospital was continuing to provide gender affirming care for minors in May of last year. —Ines Chomnalez, Austin American-Statesman, 17 June 2024

Lindsay Love, a former member of the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board, said politicians conflate Black history — or anything that discusses how one race harmed another — with critical race theory. —Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above