Race and Social Policy.

The frequent police killings during the COVID-19 pandemic forced a reckoning among Americans from all backgrounds and propelled the Black Lives Matter movement into a global force. This manuscript addresses major issues to aid practitioners in the effective treatment of African Americans via the lens of Critical Race Theory and the Bioecological Model. We place the impacts of racism on Black families in historical context and outline the sources of Black family resilience. We critique structural racism embedded in all aspects of psychology and allied fields. We provide an overview of racial socialization and related issues affecting the parenting decisions in Black families, as well as a detailed overview of impacts of structural racism on couple dynamics. Recommendations are made for engaging racial issues in therapy, providing emotional support and validation to couples and families experiencing discrimination and racial trauma, and using Black cultural strengths as therapeutic resources.

Understanding systemic racism through a lens of critical race theory can help music educators to critically examine their own practices as teachers and consider how equitable teaching practices might look. This chapter describes the experience of four music educators who learn about CRT and how an understanding of systemic racism can expand the opportunity to emphasize care in the classroom. Critical race theory is a lens through which to understand how race and racism operates in our society. With an understanding of systemic racism through critical race theory, music education practitioners can gain a deeper awareness of power, oppression, and racism in order to transform our profession toward a more caring centered profession. Critical race theory critiques color-neutral ideology where different races and identity points are acknowledged and not ignored. Educators can expand their ability to see, celebrate, and care for students and their differences while simultaneously dismantling oppressive structures.

The authors argue for a research and conceptual agenda that complicates and disrupts common narratives in teacher education that have serious implications for race. Building on the pivotal work of legal scholar Derrick Bell and through a critical race theory (CRT) lens, this article challenges researchers to broaden and complexify traditional ideologies related to: (1) characteristics of ideal teachers recruited into the field; (2) the amount of time teachers should be expected to remain in the field through alternative programs such as Teach for America; (3)weight placed on teacher entrance examinations; (4)racial diversity of P-12 teachers; (5)racial and ethnic makeup of teacher educators; and (6)over-reliance on subject matter knowledge in teacher preparation to the exclusion of other aspects of learning to teach. The authors argue given the present racial divide in schools between teachers and students it is imperative for teacher education programs to complicate and intensify the utility of race in their recruitment, retention, and support of teacher education practices and policies. The authors offer a counter narrative framework and agenda to advance policy and research through a CRT lens.

In this paper, I explore how American Buddhist and Catholic religious communities are dealing with racism both within and outside of their communities by analyzing two projects through the lens of critical race theory (CRT). The Buddhist project is Making the Invisible Visible: Healing Racism in Our Buddhist Communities, which aims to promote racial diversity in American Buddhist sanghas. The Catholic project is Open Wide Our Hearts, The Enduring Call to Love: A Pastoral Letter Against Racism, which aims toward spiritual conversion and social activism. I analyze how each project defines racism, how they approach the problem, and how they envision the role of tradition and the community in perpetuating and ameliorating racism. By analyzing these two projects, I demonstrate how religious communities could benefit from CRT as a critical theoretical framework for their racial projects.

Thinking Problems

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term coalition comes from the Latin coalescere or ‘coalesce’, meaning “come or bring together to form one mass or whole”. Coalesce refers to the unity affirmed as something grows: co – “together”, alesce – “to grow up”. While coalition is commonly associated with formalised alliances and political strategy in the name of self-interest and common goals, this paper will draw as well on the broader etymological understanding of coalition as “growing together” in order to discuss the Australian government’s recent changes to land rights legislation, the 2007 Emergency Intervention into the Northern Territory, and its decision to use Indigenous land in the Northern Territory as a dumping ground for nuclear waste.

The TPSR model, developed by Don Hellison, has been widely adopted in PE and YDP to foster life skills such as respect, effort, and self-direction among students, particularly those from marginalised communities. However, through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), this article examines how TPSR’s predominant research focus on racialized minority students – especially Black students – racializes responsibility, positioning racialized minority youth as inherently ‘irresponsible.’ This ‘othering’ process reinforces the deficit-oriented narratives that attribute behavioural and social shortcomings to racialized identities rather than systemic inequities. Drawing on CRT tenets such as the permanence of racism and the critique of liberalism, the analysis reveals how TPSR, despite its emancipatory intentions, perpetuates racial hierarchies by framing Black students as needing intervention to achieve ‘normal’ responsibility (e.g. Boyd, K., Dixon, C., Simon, M., & Bennett, G. (2025). “In the line of fire”: Critical race counternarratives from Black and Latine physical education and teacher education faculty. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2025-0049). This scholarly exploration integrates historical context, empirical research trends, and theoretical critiques, drawing on existing PE literature addressing race and racism (e.g. Abel et al., 2024). Students’ perspectives on racism and anti-racism in physical education: a systematic review. Frontiers in Sociology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1374277; Blackshear, T. B., & Culp, B. (2023). Critical race studies in physical education. Human Kinetics; Harrison, L., & Clark, L. (2016). Contemporary issues of social justice: A focus on race and physical education in the United States. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 87(3), 230–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2016.1199166) to advocate for anti-racist adaptations of TPSR. Implications for educators include shifting from deficit models to asset-based pedagogies that centre racial justice.

Teaching (Cooperative) Business: The “Bluefield Experiment” and the Future of Black Business Schools

Racist hate speech on UK university campuses remains an increasing concern. This article examines the widespread problem of racist hate speech through a multilayered theoretical approach; and suggests that a fuller appreciation of the problem can only be gained through a race-centred analysis. Drawing on Fraser’s work on the problematics of misrecognition and identity-reification, the article extends Levine-Rasky’s theoreticisation of power dynamics in the intersectionality between whiteness and middle-classness to intersections of whiteness with both middle-classness and working-classness as a contributing factor to mobilisation of lad cultures which is termed as white-laddism. The article advances the understanding of racist hate speech through a conjoined analysis of these concepts through a Critical Race Theory (CRT) lens. The conjoined analysis is informed by the Deleuzian ‘rhizomatic’ approach in order to examine the process by which multiple, diverse and non-hierarchical lines of connection between the concepts shape, dislocate, modify each other in variable ways. The detail behind the bigger picture helps further our understanding of the inadequate nature of equality policies and strategies that often look at issues in isolation, and thus fail to address the inequality and injustice being perpetuated on campuses.

is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, and inflame them to think straight, if possible.--Robert M. Hutchens I signed up for Dr. Lisa Merriweather Hunn's Critical Race Theory course, expecting just another summer class with an enormous amount of reading crammed into five short weeks. I had no idea that this course, more than any other I have ever taken, would change my view of society, the world, and myself. The subject matter required a trip deep below the surface layers of my conscience, character, and worldview, to a place in my mind that even I am only vaguely aware. The course almost did not happen because only four people signed up for it. After some discussion within the department and insistence on the part of Dr. Merriweather Hunn, Critical Race Theory was allowed to continue on its maiden voyage, and I doubt if anyone realized how important it would be for the instructor and the students. In fact, by the end of the five-week course, we all agreed that it should become a requirement for graduate students in the Adult, Higher, and Community Education program. There Are No Innocents The first class hit the ground running with a racial autobiography assignment due the first week. I knew I had a lot to say about how race and racism affected my life, so I approached this assignment with interest and confidence. However, I soon realized that the experience of writing about my life and race was an emotional journey that would prepare me for the rest of the course. As I wrote, I began to remember experiences regarding race and racism that I had forgotten. These memories included racism I have experienced from individuals as well as instances of societal racism. I also remembered instances of my own racism. My memories raised questions for me about my life and how I formed my own views on race. This assignment should always be the first assignment in a course focused on Critical Race Theory because it gives students a place to start thinking about racism and oppression, both in society and in their personal lives. As many of the Baby-Boomer generation have done, I marched on Washington, DC for equal rights, participated in many protest demonstrations, and tried to live my life in a way that denounced racism and oppression. However, as I wrote about my encounters with racism, I remembered some of my own racism as well as that of my family. I began to realize that I was responsible for some of the racism in our society. This realization made me very uncomfortable and the discomfort led to some defensiveness and disappointment in myself. Later, as the class members read about and discussed whiteness, I began to feel anger more than any other emotion. For a white person, thinking about whiteness is something like thinking about breathing. It most certainly exists, but it is such a part of the fabric of everyday life in America that it is difficult to describe or analyze. Many times as I read the assigned articles, I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when I could say, That is awful, but I don't do Then, usually only a few paragraphs further, I read about a racist or an example of privileged behavior that I am guilty of doing or thinking. I had to put the readings down and walk away from my anger many times during this part of the course. We kept our thoughts in journals and this excerpt illustrates my pain and anger when confronting white privilege and oppression: I am still a member of the dominant race; I can't change that. I still get some privilege; therefore, I need to think seriously about what whiteness is. Some of the readings make me very uncomfortable and leave me feeling that it is hopeless. No matter what I do, it is wrong. Other readings made me feel like I was being put in a category; I am not a member just because I have that fish-belly white skin. …

Background: Despite Canada’s universal healthcare system, Black Canadians continue to experience inequitable access to services. While much of the literature has examined urban centres such as Toronto and Montreal, little is known about experiences in mid-sized cities where healthcare systems are less resourced and culturally diverse. This study explores how structural racism and intersecting barriers shape healthcare access for Black Canadians in Kingston and London, Ontario. Methods: We conducted a qualitative secondary analysis of 25 semi-structured interviews with Black parents and caregivers (2023–2024) from a mixed-methods study on early learning and childcare. Although the parent study focused on childcare, participants frequently described healthcare challenges, which prompted a re-analysis of these narratives. Using a hybrid inductive and deductive thematic analysis, transcripts were coded through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Structural Violence Theory (SVT), emphasizing both systemic inequities and community-based strategies of resilience. Results: Five overarching themes emerged: (1) Institutional Racism and Cultural Incompetence, where participants reported dismissal, disbelief, and lack of culturally responsive care; (2) Structural Violence and Delayed Access, where immigration-linked exclusions, long wait times, and economic barriers limited access; (3) Intersectionality, where race, gender, immigration, and socioeconomic status compounded disadvantage, with Black women describing gendered racism in maternal care; (4) Informational and Communication Barriers, where newcomers relied on informal networks and Google due to weak institutional guidance; and (5) Community-Based Resilience, where churches, diaspora networks, and midwifery care provided culturally safe alternatives to formal systems. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate that healthcare inequities for Black Canadians in smaller cities are not incidental but structurally embedded. CRT and SVT reveal how systemic racism and bureaucratic inaction reproduce harm while communities develop parallel infrastructures of care. Addressing these inequities requires race-conscious health policies, investment in culturally safe services outside metropolitan centres, and intentional inclusion of Black voices in healthcare planning.

Re-entry African American male high school dropouts through the lens of critical race theory with content analysis of the case studies Repository Citation RE-ENTRY AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS THROUGH THE LENS OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY WITH CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDIES

Social and emotional learning (SEL) and equity issues have each been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic for students of color. This brief seeks to call to action school social workers who can identify social and emotional barriers to learning that students of color experience in schools through a critical race theory (CRT) lens. School social workers are well positioned to address equity concerns and systemic racism in schools. They play a key role in addressing SEL, reducing equity barriers, and navigating the CRT opposition. The authors view the role of the school social worker as an integral part of social and emotional teaching and learning. This is a call to mobilize school social workers to advocacy roles for SEL, equity, and racism concerns that have long impacted students of color. The authors’ aim is to provide social workers with actionable strategies in reducing social and emotional barriers to learning for students of color.

ABSTRACTIn this article, we examine the experiences of Black presidents in rural community colleges through the lens of critical race theory (CRT) and critical discourse analysis (CDA). Understanding the experiences of Black community college presidents, particularly in rural areas, which remain primarily white, is essential when addressing systemic inequities. We analyzed oral history archived interviews with 11 Black community college presidents conducted in 2021. Through a CRT lens, the study examines how race intersects with institutional structures and dynamics, shaping the experiences of Black college presidents. We utilized CDA to analyze how discourse constructs and reinforces power and racial hierarchies for Black leaders within academic settings. The findings suggest the need for tailored support systems for Black leaders in rural community colleges, informed by CRT constructs and tenets of the centrality of racism and social justice. Findings highlight implications and recommendations for community college governing boards responsible for appointing community college presidents. Governing boards must understand how Black leaders experience the presidential role to know how to support them best. By centering the voices of Black leaders and applying CRT and CDA frameworks, this study contributes to how CRT is a tool for uncovering racism and racialization in community college leadership, particularly within rural settings.

The research aims to analyze the debate on Critical Race Theory in the United States and the conservative reaction, focusing on the anti-CRT campaign in schools and pending and approved federal and state legislations related to anti-racist education, among 2020 and 2022. To this end, the research answers what critical race theory is from the perspective of its theorists, contextualizes the advance of the extreme right and the CRT as its symbolic enemy representing resistance to anti-racist education, and analyzes the related changes to the subject at the federal and state legislative level. It is argued that the attacks on the CRT and the efforts surrounding race debate and anti-TCR legislation are part of an ideological effort to delegitimize the American nation's historical perspectives of race and racism, prevent marginalized groups from participating in civic life, and maintain the racial status quo and political power. This ideological effort is part of a broader and transnational movement articulated by conservative groups that use institutional mechanisms to block the advancement of progressive agendas, highlighting the strong polarization and division of North American society in the actions involved in combating racism. From the lens of Critical Race Theory, we analyzed and mapped anti-CRT legislation or legislation against education and the race debate. The research is based on federal and state legislation, such as Federal Executive Orders decreed by presidents and state Executive Orders decreed by governors, and state bills and laws. Through mapping and analysis, it is possible to identify the wave of legislation against the CRT, more specifically against the debate on race, which is being built as a movement against anti-racist education in schools, higher education institutions and public and private institutions.