Critical race theory (CRT) was in the news last week. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration blocked an Advanced Placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools.

Whitehouse press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that Florida and DeSantis's actions were rooted in racism. 

DeSantis defended his state’s stance saying that the high school course violates state law and is historically inaccurate. He argued that Florida wants “education, not indoctrination.” And added that the course was riddled with “radical” political perspectives that don’t capture the spectrum of black public opinion on various issues, including criminal justice.

Critical Race Theory and the 1619 project

According to Christopher Rufo, critical race theory is an academic discipline, formed in the 1990s on the intellectual framework of identity-based Marxism. 

For many years it was ignored except in obscure academic journals. But now the ideology has made its way into U.S. public institutions over the past decade. It has been injected into government agencies, public school systems, teacher training programs, and corporate human resources departments in the form of diversity training programs, human resources modules, public policy frameworks, and school curriculums. 

An expansion of critical race theory through the Pulitzer Prize-winning “1619 Project,” was developed by Nikole Hannah-Jones. And it was published by the New York Times.

The 1619 Project claims slavery was a key issue behind the American Revolution. This was one of the claims that some historians have widely disputed.

Those opposed claim that CRT and the 1619 project are perpetuating old and disputed concepts like predetermination and segregation.

They also claim that CRT is not being taught as a "theory" but as a fact.

Some consider the debate on critical race theory and now the 1619 Project as America’s new culture wars.

Bill Maher podcast joins the debate

Comedian and podcaster Bill Maher debated with actor Brian Cranston. On Mayer’s podcast “Club Random” they discussed whether critical race theory should be in schools.

The two discussed the hot-button ideology which claims that race shapes social and political movements, the media, and laws.

When discussing slavery Maher said people like former presidents should not be canceled for having slaves.

“It’s 400 f–king years that we’ve dealt with this, and our country still has not taken responsibility or accountability,” the “Breaking Bad” actor emphasized.

“I mean, teaching how the race trade and racism is systemic in everything we’ve done in government, in social activities,” he said.

Bill Maher and Bryan Cranston discussed whether schools should be teaching critical race theory to students during Maher’s podcast.

Maher said critical race theory is “one of these catch-all terms” and told Cranston “If you mean more what the 1619 book says, which is that it’s just the essence of America and that we are irredeemable, that’s just wrong.”

Maher said teaching children that they are oppressors because they are white is “introducing ideas about race that are inappropriate for kids that age who can’t understand it.”

By the end of the podcast, they both agreed that some concepts shouldn't be taught in schools. And the debate continues.