Why Nearly 100 People Gathered to Talk About Critical Race Theory in Omaha

About half the room raised their fists in power at the Learning Community’s Coordinating Council meeting where proponents and opponents of teaching about systems of racial oppression gathered to express their opinions. Image credit: Alex Carter alexcarter.com

By Emily Chen-Newton

Though the meeting lasted well past 11:00pm, many stayed til the end bringing out snacks and playing quiet games with the youngest in the room as the debate continued. Image credit: Alex Carter

A concept developed in the 1980s has been forced into public and political discourse this spring and summer. “Critical Race Theory” (CRT) asserts that certain American foundational systems have racialized backbones allowing inequalities to persist for centuries, and that race itself is more a product of society than biology. It is an academic framework for social and legal analysis that is rarely, if ever, taught in K-12 schools. And yet it’s become a topic of partisan debate - a debate that made its way to Omaha, Nebraska on a record-breakingly hot day last week (June 17). As temperatures reached 105 degrees outside, the social climate was just as hot inside the Learning Community’s North Omaha center meeting room packed with both proponents and opponents of CRT.

The theory, however, was not actually on the meeting agenda or meant to be up for debate that night. Instead, the Learning Community’s Coordinating Council members, who vote on how to allocate funding to projects at the intersection of family, early childhood, and education, met to vote on the renewal of an existing contract with the Buffett Early Childhood Institute (BECI). CRT is not a part of the programming offered by the BECI, and the implementation of CRT was not being voted on by the council. 

The Early Childhood Institute offers programming supporting the Superintendent’s Early Childhood Plan, which was developed by superintendents from all 11 Omaha area school districts to reduce opportunity gaps in our schools derived from poverty and its root causes. Race and poverty are intertwined in our country. Because of this, and because according to the BECI teachers have requested professional development (PD) focused on how to “respond to questions raised by their students about race,” the institute is offering optional PD sessions on such topics. These professional development sessions for teachers--  not students-- are a part of the contract that was being voted on by the Learning Community Council that night. After more than four and a half hours of public comment, around 11:00 pm at night, the council voted in favor of renewing the contract with the BECI.

While the inclusion of CRT into the curriculum of Omaha area schools was not being voted on that night, social media posts from the group Nebraskans Against Government Overreach suggested otherwise. 

This prompted a robust response from the North Omaha community and beyond. A small group of graduate education students from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln traveled to Omaha and stood beside members of an activist group headquartered in North Omaha, the Revolutionary Action Party. Along with others they spoke in favor of teaching a more complete view of the systems of racial oppression in the United States. Graduate student Uma said all children deserve “to get the real knowledge about our own country.”

Members of the Revolutionary Action Party (RAP) were present at the event in support of more education about the systems of racial oppression inherent in America and its foundations. Image credit: Alex Carter alexcater.com

Shee Covarrubias, a mother from the Papillion-La Vista area, originally became engaged in the public dialogue over race education when the children's book about racial injustice, “Something Happened in our Town” sparked controversy when it was shown to La Vista elementary students earlier this year. Covarrubias spoke at the Learning Community meeting in support of more comprehensive education about the racial injustices in American history and in the present. She also emphasized that parents have a right to choose to opt their children out of such education. Covarrubias, who has written about this topic and educational freedom for a local newsletter, ended her comments, however, reminding the room full of nearly 100 people that, “The truth doesn’t mind being questioned, but a lie doesn't like being challenged.”

Those who showed up opposing a deeper dive into the racialized structures of America being taught in K-12 schools, including Larry Store, proudly wearing a red “Keep America Great” hat, often made mention of not wanting their tax dollars to be spent on teaching kids that ‘American is built on racism.’ Allie French and others donning Nebraskans Against Government Overreach t-shirts said this kind of education is “teaching them (white children) to feel guilty.” French continued that teaching about race will, “burden our children with adult problems”.

Annette Harris, an African American mother who spoke shortly after French, brought up the adult conversations that Black parents must have with their children from a very young age about how to behave in front of police officers. And about halfway through the dynamic public comment session, Hannah Rodriguez wrapped up her comments in favor of CRT-like teachings saying, “Getting uncomfortable is our first step towards growth.”

Bans against Critical Race Theory are currently being passed in states such as Tennessee and Ohio. Governor Ricketts has been outspoken against CRT as well, even while signing into law an anti-discrimination bill that Dr.Doris “Wendy” Greene of Drexel University called “Critical Race Theory in practice” last week.

Various news and opinion outlets have postulated on why CRT has become a flashpoint this summer resulting in political debate and community meetings such as this one. Professor Kerry-Ann Escayg of UNO, who was pictured on social media flyers put out by NAGO about the meeting, spoke that night about what she calls the “mischaracterization” of scholarly anti-racism work. Escayg said this mischaracterization shows the “vicious coupling of an aversion to facts, with a desire to retain systemic inequities.” She continued, “Anti-racism education is about challenging racism. And one cannot do so without first exposing racism.”

While Critical Race Theory was not actually up for a vote that night at the Learning Community’s committee meeting, it is an important conversation for our city. Stay tuned with NOISE for a virtual roundtable discussion next month with community leaders of color and anti-racism scholars including Professor Kerry-Ann Escayg from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.