CRT and Mental Health

Impacts of Critical Race Theory on Children and What You Can Do

(From CRT lesson in The Parents’ Guide To Mental Health)

Critical race theory (CRT) is a very damaging concept that is now woven into almost everything children experience in school, media, mainstream entertainment, and therapy.  It's not a specific school lesson, but an entire world view that promotes victimhood and guilt according to skin color.  Simply, the reduction of people to groups based on skin color, the oppressor/oppressed status and the condemnation or elevation of these groups is detrimental to child development.

CRT is harmful in the following ways: it divides communities, lowers motivation, increases depression, and lowers self-esteem.  CRT also induces anger, fear and sometimes brings out a trauma response.  Most importantly, CRT sets many kids up to fail.  In this course I will explain how critical race theory is harmful to the mental health of children and share what you as a parent can do. 

What is Critical Race Theory?

Critical race theory has been presented in the media as a way to teach Black history, but in reality, it is an ideology that divides people by race.  It teaches that the United States, today in 2023, is systemically racist. Systemic racism is defined as discrimination or unequal treatment on the basis of membership in a particular ethnic group (typically one that is a minority or marginalized), arising from systems, structures, or expectations that have become established within society or an institution. It teaches that no matter the context or circumstances, a person with darker skin is a victim of racial bias and a Caucasian person is an oppressor, including little children.  Critical Race Theory champions equitable outcomes over equal opportunity.  A school that follows CRT guidelines gives allowances for black students' behavior and academics over white students.  A person is no longer judged by merit, but rather the color of their skin.  CRT teaches that every white person has certain privileges over a black person, no matter the context, even if you are comparing a person like LeBron James, the famous basketball player, to a white homeless man.  CRT also states that Asians (or any non-whites that do well ), are 'white adjacent'.

CRT is in schools and other institutions using many hidden terms that seem innocuous. Some examples are:

• white fragility

• intersectionality

• white privilege

• 1619 project

• social justice

• unconscious bias

• anti-racism

• white adjacent

• white supremacy

• minoritized racial group

• victims vs oppressors

• equity and inclusion and diversity

• restorative justice

CRT supports the 1619 Project which asserts that the US was founded when the first slave arrived in the US, rather than in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed.  Even though this theory was widely promoted by the NY Times, it has since been debunked by many historians and scholars, however, many activists still promote this theory and it is still taught in many schools. 

Black Lives Matter

BLM is the organization that most strongly advocates Critical Race Theory. It has promoted riots and violence since its inception.  It championed the idea that abolishing all police would help society and it believes in breaking down the nuclear family.  (Breaking down the family was on their website in 2020, but they have since removed it because that was an unpopular idea to advertise.)  The founders, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi described their political orientation as Marxist, a political philosophy based on the work of 19th century author and political activist Karl Marx. The central premise of Marx’s philosophy is that the private ownership of the means of production will necessarily exploit the working class which will bring the working class into conflict with the ‘owners’.  The outcome of this conflict will be a Utopian society whereby the community ownership of production will be better allocated to meet the needs of the people.  CRT focuses not so much on the ‘class of ownership’ but on the ‘race of ownership’ attributing all societal problems to the white or white adjacent owners who have developed systems to oppress the black population.  The implementation of such a vision necessarily requires the abolition of ANY existing system (political, legal economic etc.) in the service of creating the expected utopia.   Despite this philosophy, one of the founders of BLM, Patrisse Khan Cullors purchased four high-end homes for $3.2 million in 2020 when protests were breaking out across the country according to the NY Post. The same article notes that she also owns a $1.4 million home “on a secluded road a short drive from Malibu in Los Angeles”.

Despite the unrest promoted by BLM, when any activist is probed about laws or examples of unequal treatment within the system, they provide no actual evidence. There is no law in 2023 that discriminates against minorities.  Statistics about police shootings show a very different picture than what is portrayed in the media.  In 2020, according to the Washington Post, 18 unarmed black people were shot and killed by the police and in 2019, only 12.  Blacks make up only 25% of total suspects shot and killed by the police, yet they commit the highest amount of crime. There were four careful studies done to control for these variables and determine if police are more likely to shoot black suspects. All four studies showed that police officers did not shoot black suspects more frequently. These studies were completed by; Harvard economist Roland Fryer in 2018, a group of public-health researchers led by Dr. Ted R Miller of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Maryland in 2016, economist Sendil Mullainathan, and by David Johnson in 2019.  Links to these studies can be found in the City Journal Article, Stories and Data Reflections on race, riots and police written by Coleman Hughes on June 14, 2020.  

The other alleged 'proof' of systemic racism is disparities: the unequal outcomes of racial groups. However, disparities are not proof of discrimination.  Thomas Sowell, an American economist, historian, social theorist, and senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, wrote about this topic extensively.  He wrote about how there has never been a society where disparities don't exist.  He also concluded that government interventions such as welfare, minimum wage increases, ineffective public schools, and affirmative action policies have hurt the Black community exponentially more than slavery. In an interview he was asked, “You wrote: Liberals have wreaked more havoc on blacks than the supposed legacy of slavery they talk about.' You don't mean that hyperbolically?” Sowell responded, “No, I do not.” In another interview he further explains his answer, “They [Democrats] have made it difficult to get jobs to get started in the job market, minimum wage law would be one of those things, but only one. The terrible schooling would be another major factor. That if you were to turn out kids who were 40% functionally illiterate from high school then you are going to have very serious problems in the job market. They are doing many things that make it much tougher for the person at the bottom to get started and they are also making it less necessary to get started by having various subsidy programs, food stamps, welfare and so on, which reduce the difference between working and not working. Centuries of slavery and generations of Jim Crow did not destroy the black family, but one generation of the welfare state did.”

In fact, Blacks were rising economically very quickly in the 40's and 50's and then their progress came to an abrupt halt with the introduction of the “War on Poverty” in 1964. Public assistance had a consequence of incentivizing women to have children out of wedlock and men to evade their responsibilities as fathers. Statistically, single parent households are a higher indicator of poverty than skin color. Since 1964, black families have gone from 25% single parent households (as quoted by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, author of the report “The Negro family: The case for National Action”) to 77.3% in 2015 according to the National Center for Health Statistics, via Washington Examiner in May of 2017. In summary, being dependent on government assistance keeps black families from climbing the economic ladder, not racism.

Another point to refute the “America is racist” narrative is the fact that immigrants from Africa, India, or Asia with very different cultures tend to do very well when they come to the United States. If America was so racist, why would millions of dark-skinned immigrants migrate to our country and how could they succeed? 

It is also important to note that those who were guilty of promoting slavery in the past were of all races. In fact, many slave traders were black. In addition, many white people fought in the civil war to end slavery and supported black people. In Booker T.  Washington's autobiography, he wrote about how many people helped him with his success, including wealthy white people. He received donations, he was given work and was supported by people of all races.  Washington was born into slavery, yet he eventually founded a school that still exists today. Despite his beginnings, he never viewed himself as a victim and he found kindness in black and white people (all different people), even in the 19^th century.

No one is denying that America has a dark past with slavery, however teaching children that they are guilty of, or are victims of injustices from years ago is harmful and divisive.  It doesn't acknowledge the nuances of our history, the incredible fight for equality, and many other variables. Young children cannot understand these complexities.  Most tellingly, the ideology of CRT goes against the famous words and vision of MLK Jr., “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

CRT Impacts on Children

Divide and conquer/breakdown of community

At its root, CRT teaches kids to notice skin color and their other immutable characteristics over their character. It teaches children that kids with certain skin colors are victims and certain skin colors are oppressed. Of course, this is going to create division and conflict and a feeling of ‘othering’ peers because of race. They are being taught to be racist, in essence, to judge others by the color of their skin.

This generally will make kids feel uncomfortable around peers of other races. Even if they don't believe that any race is inferior, this sets up an environment that makes it more difficult to approach peers. For example, white kids are taught to “give space for black voices”.  How does that set up an environment of comfort and emotional safety for any of them if they are taught to tip toe around peers of different race?

Lack of motivation

If kids learn that they will not be treated on merit, but treated by 'equitable race standards', they will try less. White kids will lose motivation if they are being held to higher expectations while their minority peers get away with violent behavior or lower academic standards.  Conversely, minorities will expect success even if they don’t deserve it.

Low self-esteem

Self-esteem does not come when all the kids get the same prize. It comes when an individual dedicates himself and reaps the rewards of his hard work and talent. Why train for a race if you are not allowed to win based on something you cannot control (skin color)? Lowering standards or erasing advanced classes hurts all the kids. If the AP classes are cancelled, no one gets an opportunity to challenge themselves, learn what they are good at, or excel.  How do they know they deserve a position or grade if they only got it in the name of 'equity'? 

Black children are told they are victims on a constant basis, which does not bode well for a go-getter mindset and white children are told they are oppressors.  These kids are holding low self-regard and guilt for things that happened before they were born and have nothing to do with.

Anger

Anger would be a natural response if you were taught that the whole system is rigged against you and you cannot achieve anything without extra help because of the color of your skin. It would be natural to be angry at police officers if you were taught that they were out hunting you down because of your race and every newspaper reinforces that belief.

On the flip side, it would be natural to be angry if you are working extra hard, but your classmate gets the spot because of their darker skin color and not on merit. Or you could feel angry when there are kids disrupting your class and the adults don't hold them accountable because the kids causing trouble are of a minority group while you remain on your best behavior and remain unnoticed. In addition, well-behaved children are now losing valuable learning because the behavioral issues of other children are either not addressed due to the false promise of restorative justice or adequately corrected.  These policies hurt children of all backgrounds. They are creating anger and resentment for everyone.

Fear

As mentioned above, minorities are taught to fear police, fear white people, and fear every system they are a part of.  It's difficult to lead a successful life if you are constantly living in fear of people you don't even know.  A balanced perspective is that there are some bad people who may judge poorly based on skin color, but that does not make everyone a racist. As I explain in the module on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, two tings CAN be true at the same time and gross exaggerations are not conducive to good mental health. In America today, racist incidents are exceedingly rare. They are so rare that most incidents reported in the news end up being conflated or complete lies.  There is a reason Jesse Smollet had to invent a hate crime for attention.

Even Booker T Washington knew this in the early 19^th century. If you ever want to be inspired, read his autobiography Up From Slavery . He states, “It is now long ago that I learned this lesson from General Armstrong, and resolved that I would permit no man, no matter what his colour might be, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. With God's help, I believe that I have completely rid myself of any ill feeling toward the Southern white man for any wrong he may have inflicted upon my race. I pity from the bottom of my heart any individual who is so unfortunate as to get into the habit of holding race prejudice.” (page 115)

Other kids may come to fear or avoid black kids because they've become programmed to be angrier and more confrontational due to Critical Race Theory. White kids are now told they are oppressors and are not protected by adults and peers the same way as those who are seen as victims. These children feel vulnerable, yet they are supposed to be the 'oppressors'.  In turn, they often feel neglected.  I believe this is influencing children to want to be a part of another victim group and identify as part of the LGBT community. 

Kids live in fear of being labeled racist and being canceled or having an online mob come after them.  There have been several incidents where white students are victims of fake race hoaxes, but these incidents are rarely talked about.  They lose friends, team standings, ability to get into college, and more, yet those students are not acknowledged as victims.  Most kids walk on eggshells around each other in fear of being labeled a racist. In the end they all lose the opportunity to connect with one another as human beings.  It is the teachings of CRT that reinforces this fear.

Lack of responsibility/set up to fail

CRT teaches kids in minority groups that they don't have responsibility for their actions and results because it's the 'system's fault'. These kids are set up to fail and do poorly, widening the disparities, which are the only (fake) ‘proof’ they have that systemic racism exists.  Anti-racism policies are keeping minorities down in a way that the rare ‘white supremacist’ could never do. 

Loss of individuality

This ideology takes away the individuality of children if they are taught to see themselves and be seen as part of a collective group, rather than for their individual traits and talents.  According to the very famous Abraham Maslow who invented the 'hierarchy of needs', self-actualization is at the top of the hierarchy and the goal of every person. Maslow stated, “It may be loosely described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing. They are people who have developed or are developing to the full statute of which they capable.” (From Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs by Kendra Cherry on www.verywellmind.com.)  With equity policies that stifle gifted children, lack of accountability, and the fact that children are given opportunities based on skin color, they lose their ability to thrive as individuals.

Impacts on Mental Health

Depression

Depression is characterized by feelings of hopelessness, inability to feel joy, isolation, and low self-worth.  This is happening for youth of all races. The minority kids are told they can't achieve things without special rules and the white kids are told they need to have guilt for things from the past that they have no control over.  When someone believes they don't have agency in their own life and are divided from their peers, this can easily lead to depression. 

Creating and Reinforcing trauma

Lies, perceptions and actual crime create and reinforce trauma in black communities. There have been many lies in the media about police violence against black youth. These stories do not tell the whole truth and do not mention how almost every incident involved a person breaking the law and resisting arrest.  Schools that reinforce CRT teach children about these cases and leave out these important details.  They also only highlight the cases that happen to Blacks but ignore the similar cases that happen to whites. They also do not mention the hundreds of thousands of non-violent and appropriate police encounters that happen daily in this country.  It is easy to be fooled and feel traumatized if you believe these horrible incidents are the norm as presented by CNN.  Unfortunately, they teach young black children to fear police which leads to more conflict.  Conversely, police do not want to be labeled racist so do less proactive work. As a result, crime increases and the communities that suffer the most are the minority communities with the higher crime rates. As many police budgets have been cut, crime rates rose exponentially. Crime increased by 30% in 2020 compared to 2019 in Oakland after they cut police funds according to an article by Politico titled, “Oakland Mayor: Defund the Police Push Went 'Too Far'”. Most people who live in high-crime neighborhoods suffer from some level of PTSD from witnessing violent crime, knowing a victim of violent crime, experiencing violent crime, and living in constant fear of violent crime.

According to a study conducted in 2017 that “followed women who had mild to severe depressive symptoms, according to the Chicago Tribune. The researchers found that 29% of the 72 African American participants had PTSD. An additional 7% of women exhibited a large number of symptoms that are a part of a PTSD diagnosis.” From Living in a Violent Neighborhood can Give you PTSD, Study Suggests on Michigan Radio by Paulette Parker.

Anxiety disorders

Along with a PTSD response, children can develop anxiety disorders.  When fear becomes all-encompassing and children can no longer live in the moment and play as children, they are likely to develop an anxiety disorder.  The anxiety becomes free-floating and can turn into other mental health issues such as OCD or eating disorders.  Children need to feel protected by adults and feel safe in their environment, and if they are taught to live in constant fear, they cannot develop properly.

What You Can Do:

While the overall situation may seem bleak, there are several things that you can do to reduce the impact of CRT related issues to your children.

Pay attention

As described, CRT has found its way into many major institutions including schools, entertainment, and even health care.  One of the most important things you can do is to listen and truly hear the words and language used by these institutions.  While the surface message that you her may sound accepting or harmless, think about what the message is intended to do and either avoid it or counteract it.  While hearing about how individual racial groups should have their own facilities, programs, or ceremonies, remember how hard the country fought to achieve integration and equality.

Shield your child from CRT

If your child is young, I would try to shield him/her from this as much as possible. Letting children be children and not be bogged down by social issues that are too heavy for their developmental stage is the best you can do. I recommend keeping your child out of the public school system if possible. Also, reducing screen time and social media will help prevent exposure from this toxic ideology. Unfortunately, CRT is woven into mainstream cartoons and children's shows such as Blue's Clues, Sesame Street, Disney, and the Cartoon Network.  Shows need to be previewed now.

Educate

If you agree with what I have presented, I recommend countering some of this propaganda by exposing your child to media that gives different messages.  Prager U has some great videos and books on the topic for different ages. Watch the videos together and talk about them and you can discuss the different topics age-appropriately.  For example, you can talk about the original Civil Rights movement and why the current movements like Black Lives Matter are not the same.  If your child has been taught that police are systemically racist, show them the real facts on how many police shootings happen a year. That number is very small (under 20 a year for the entire country, depending on how the encounter is measured). In fact, a black person is more likely to be struck by lightning than be shot by the police if unarmed and cooperative. In 2020, 20 people died of  lightning strikes while 18 black people died of shootings. (via Black Victim to Black Victor by Adam B. Coleman.) Teach some of the nuances of black history. For example, there were both black and white slave owners and slave traders. Our history is complex and by teaching that, you will have a more empowered child.  Find children's books that reinforce this idea. Tuttle Twins has a series to counter cultural Marxism and there are many more being published by different authors. Brave Books also has some good pro-America books. If your child is a bit older, you can watch the documentary Uncle Tom together, available on Amazon.

Model the idea that one bad situation does not equal systemic racism

The children will learn from you. If you walk around believing every dirty look or negative interaction has a racial motive, your child will too. Teach your children that sometimes people are jerks, sometimes they may pre-judge you, but that does not mean the WHOLE SYSTEM is against you.  Remember to address the situation and not the individuals race or other characteristics. Notice times when people are kind and helpful. Also, people may be responding to something completely unrelated to race, such as a misunderstanding. Help them understand that in most situations, people are acting with good-will and not to assume the worst of people.  Take the time to interpret the situation before reacting.

For the same reason, do not treat people who are different than you as victims that need special allowances.  Everyone deserves opportunity and everyone should be held accountable for bad behavior regardless of skin color. 

Model hard work and perseverance

Show your kids that when you work hard for something and are consistent and make good choices, you will do well in life, no matter what your skin color, gender or any other immutable characteristics are. Equality should be understood as equal opportunity and not equal outcome; when everyone gets what they deserve based on merit. Reaching goals isn't easy, but if we are constantly making excuses and expecting things for nothing, it gets even harder.

Remind them that sometimes life isn't always fair, yet we shouldn't we give up

It's easy to look around and feel like others are getting more. Some of this may be luck, some of this may simply be unfair and some of it is perception. But do we teach children to just give up and blame the system if they don't get what they want the first time, or the second time? Even the most talented people take years and years to become a success. They certainly didn't get there by giving up and blaming the 'system'.  It is important to remember that there are so many factors that help someone become successful including the family they came from, (children with two parents in the home tend to do better in life), their health, their talents, their learning style, disabilities, effort, and more.  Skin color isn't the only factor, in fact it’s one of the least telling factors here in the US.  Regardless of your child's circumstances, we want to encourage children to be the best they can be, and not live with a victim mentality, or live with unnecessary guilt.

Show your child that people are more than their immutable characteristics

Emphasize what makes your child special as an individual. Emphasize what makes people in your life special.  You can talk about people's strengths and weaknesses. Make sure your child sees himself as an individual with his own characteristics and not just as part of a group. When a child's sense of self is dependent on a victim status (oppressor/oppressed), they can have a hard time developing a strong self-image.

Teach accountability and responsibility

If your child misbehaves and deserves a punishment, teach them that they need to take responsibility for their behaviors.  Talk to them about what happened, help them learn lessons so they can grow up to be responsible adults.

Teach your child not to be defensive or afraid of being labeled

If your child is labeled a racist when they did not do anything racist, teach them that they should only apologize when they have done wrong, not simply to placate a mob. This nefarious ‘racist’ label keeps adults and children silent and afraid. If your child was accused of something ‘politically incorrect’, try to find out the whole story, think about the context, and remember they are children. Children are not supposed to be perfect; they are supposed to be learning and mistakes should be used as learning opportunities. Also note that it is rare when children act in deliberately racist ways unless they are taught to do so. Make sure there is a real investigation and facts are known before a child has to live with the racist label for the rest of his/her academic life.

Help your child stand up to CRT when they encounter it.

Encourage your child to use some basic language to counter CRT related thoughts and speech. Here are some examples:

• “I am not a victim.”

• “My friend is my equal, stop trying to make us fight.”

• “Why are you telling me what to think about people I don't know? That is wrong.”

• “People can be mean for all kinds of reasons, like maybe they had a bad day.”

• “I refuse to feel different from my friends because we have different skin or hair.”

• “I know a lot of nice white people.”

• “Stop telling me to feel bad for things I didn't do.”

• “My family calls the police when we need help and they keep us safe.”

• “Now I'll never know if I really deserved that grade and that makes me feel worse.”

• “I don't understand why when my white friend is mean, they are called 'racist', but when my black friend is mean, he doesn't get in any trouble.”

• “I don't like it when you tell my white friends that they have to stay quiet just because they are white. I want to know that they have to say.”

• (to a teacher) “I'm confused, should I think differently of you because of your skin color? That sounds like racism.”

• “My skin color is not the most important thing about me.”

• “You are teaching me to pretend I know what other people are thinking. That's weird.”

• “Stop teaching me that my worth is based on other people's feelings.”

• “Do we [students] have the freedom to disagree with you [teacher] on that?”

• “I feel uncomfortable and will be telling my parents about this”

• “Are you trying to tell me that my parents are racist? You barely know them.”

• “Are you trying to tell me that my parents didn't earn their success?

• “You make me feel like giving up. What is the point of trying if the system is rigged anyway?”

• “I want to hear what my white friends have to say too.”

Teach your child to talk to you

Make sure your child knows they can come to you if another adult makes them feel bad because of their race.  Teach them that not all grown-ups have the same values as your family. Be available to answer questions and tell them how you believe no one should be divided by skin color or be made to feel bad or fearful because of immutable characteristics. 

Engage with the Police Pro-actively

Do you value public safety? Support your local police and make sure your local representatives know that you do not believe in abolishing the police. Give your child a positive experience with police so they don't resist them or be uncooperative with them in a future encounter because of negative pre-conceived notions.  Teach your children how to respond correctly to police when they interact.

Go to a school Board meeting,  City Council meeting, or run for school board

Stand up to Equity policies and CRT teachings that affect your child and the rest of the children in the class. Model for your child that although these issues are hard to talk about, you will stand up against ideas that are harmful.

Help your child recognize bias

If age appropriate, remind you child that entertainment, news, and social media all have some level of bias.  Talk with them to help them identify that bias where possible and remember that this may go both ways.  Ground your children to look for facts and recognize that that they usually do not know the whole story. The media likes to get people emotional , so teach your children not to take the bait.  Teach your child to ask questions when a racially charged conversation comes up so they don't believe rumors. Teach your children to have healthy skepticism.

Screen your child's therapist for CRT ideology

People who believe this ideology tend to gravitate to mental health services. In addition, most mental health institutions now teach Critical Race Theory. In fact, I just had to take some professional courses to renew my license and many of the continuing education credit courses teach that out country is systemically racist and to ‘psycho-educate’ minority clients on how oppressed they are. If you do not want this incorporated into your child's therapy, I wouldn't be shy and ask your child's therapist directly what they think of ‘white privilege'. 

Summary

The harmful messages of critical race theory are woven into every institution and influence your child encounters. They are learning directly or subliminally that the United States was built on racism, and systemic racism is everywhere, whether they personally experience it or not.  The media has told countless lies about high-profile cases to give the impression that young black men are being hunted down by the police. These lies are dangerous. In addition, children are being taught to fear and resent their friends and people they don't even know.  They are also taught to hold guilt for past atrocities they have no responsibility for. They are given allowances or treated harsher based on the color of their skin. All of this is harmful to their mental well-being and we as adults must protect our children from these messages. Children need to be children; they need to be challenged so they can reach their full potential and connect with their friends without the weight of racial tension that has been created by Critical Race Theory.

Pamela Garfield-Jaeger is a licensed clinical social worker in California. She completed her MSW in 1999 from New York University. She has a variety of experience in schools, group homes, hospitals and community-based organizations. Since getting fired for not getting the C*VID vaccine, she has dedicated herself to educate parents and embolden other mental health professionals to challenge the ideological capture of her profession.

For more detailed information on how to empower yourself as a parent and navigate the mental health field, see the Parents' Guide to Mental Health.

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