To the Editor:
As an African American educator, supporter of critical race theory, and a Ph.D. student immersed in the study of CRT, I was eager to read the article, 鈥淐ritical Race Theory and the Fight Over History Standards: 6 Things to Know鈥� ( Jan. 19, 2022). However, my enthusiasm turned to disappointment when I saw the article鈥檚 use of the term 鈥渂锚te noire.鈥�
Today, the idiom is commonly used to mean 鈥渂lack beast鈥濃�� or something that is strongly disliked or feared. defines the idiom as someone or something 鈥渟trongly detested or avoided.鈥� That definition is offensive, given that the term equates black with something to be avoided. Sadly, the definition of this term underscores that b锚te noire is an offensive term. Its meaning reinforces messages of superiority, while making people of color feel subordinated.
I encourage you to read Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education by Edward Taylor, David Gillborn, and Gloria Ladson-Billings. The book illuminates the complexities of race and racism and how political, educational, and legal structures support the established power system that reinforces that 鈥�.鈥� The uninformed use of the term 鈥渂锚te noire鈥� constitutes a microaggression against your readers of color. According to Peggy Davis, a professor of law at New York University School of Law, 鈥淢icroaggressions are stunning, automatic acts of disregard that stem from unconscious attitudes of white superiority and constitute a verification of Black inferiority.鈥�
I feel an apology is required. Anything less avoids the necessary conversations in schools about the pervasiveness of racism and unintentional subtleties. As educators, we must commit to push our knowledge about race in this country so that we can resist the oftentimes unconscious oppression that defines the nonwhite experience.
Sharon P. Wilson
Assistant Principal
Jonesboro, Ga.
