defining terms

Systemic Racism

Systemic racism is a core tenet of CRT.
It claims that the entire founding of the United States was based on racism, including all of its institutions.
It then goes further to say that those institutions must be dismantled if racism is to be defeated.
Other names: Structural Racism, Institutional Racism

Anti-racism

Anti-racism is a core tenet of CRT.
Anti-racists advocate for present and future discrimination to make up for past discrimination.
According to CRT proponents, individuals who are against racism are still racist.

Equity

Equity is a core tenet of CRT, though it does not have to be applied in a CRT context.
Equity is about guaranteeing the same output, regardless of the input.
By contrast, equality is about giving equal opportunities, but not guaranteeing equal results.

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is a core tenet of critical race theory.
The theory ranks people according to their "privilege."
It reduces individuals to aspects of their identity, such as race, class, sexual orientation, gender, nationality, disability, and religion.
It then claims that individuals who have multiple overlapping "minority" features are extra oppressed.

White Privilege

CRT proponents link "white" and "privilege" to the role of oppressor.
By default, anyone who isn't white is oppressed.
Other names: whiteness, white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalist oppression

The 1619 Project

The 1619 Project was a subversive attempt by the New York Times to reframe America's founding through the lens of Critical Race Theory.
The project scapegoats white Americans as the cause of all of the country's problems.
Texas, along with numerous other states, banned teaching this project and its principles.
Activist teachers do it anyway.

Microaggressions

Microaggressions are everyday verbal or nonverbal slights that communicate a negative message to a person in a marginalized group.
They can be either intentional or unintentional.
The scope of microaggressions broadens daily.
Microaggressions can be used as part of behavior matrices to track supposedly racist behaviors.

Colorblindness

There is no colorblindness in CRT.
To CRT proponents, individuals who say they are "colorblind" are racist.
"Colorblind" people are denying that they see color, which is racist.
CRT claims that not acknowledging skin color is an act of oppression.