News Archive
IU McKinney Student Groups Stage Discussion of Critical Race Theory
02/24/2022
What is critical race theory, and should it be taught—or banned—in K-12 schools?
A forum at the law school on February 16, organized with the Greater Indianapolis NAACP by IU McKinney Law chapters of the American Constitution Society (ACS) and the Black Law Students Association, sought to shed light on the debate ignited by the introduction in January of Indiana House Bill 1134 and similar legislation introduced and passed in other states.
Cassidy Segura Clouse (above), a 3L law student and founding member of the McKinney chapter of ACS, opened the forum with praise for the 350 registered attendees, who would “hear things you don’t like, things you disagree with, things you’ve never considered before, and things that make you uncomfortable. That’s good.”
“The ability to have vigorous good-faith debates undergirds a healthy democracy,” Clouse said.
Among the speakers were Indiana NAACP president Barbara Bolling, who called IU McKinney School of Law “the perfect place” for the discussion as she introduced state legislators who are on the front lines of the ongoing Statehouse debates, Indiana State Representative Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) and Indiana State Senator Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis).
During the forum, Kevin D. Brown, the Richard S. Melvin Professor at the IU Maurer School of Law, recounted his role as one of the participants of the original critical race theory workshop held in 1989 in Madison, Wisconsin. He described the framework as one designed to address racial disparities, such as in income and life expectancy, for “those who administer justice in our society,” not for K-12 education.
Another invited forum speaker, Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, voiced criticism of critical race theory as a divisive tool of the left, while Russell Skiba, professor in the school psychology program and director of the Equity Project at IU, pointed to conservative forces targeting teaching concepts about race and using the word-for-word language in bills introduced in statehouses across the country.
A recording of the event is available. The forum also drew news coverage, including reports from the Indianapolis Recorder, the Indiana Lawyer, WFYI, WTHR and WISH-TV.
