Critical Race Theory

Critical race theory (CRT), which originated in the legal community, elucidates the relationship between social structure and White privilege by looking at how race and power intersect. According to CRT, the self-interest of Caucasians determines the allowance and retrenchment of civil rights. Therefore, CRT rejects [Page 115]the notion that racism can be abolished through the legal system because racism is deemed necessary for the maintenance of the socioeconomic structure in the United States. The central principles of CRT fall into six categories: racism as a norm, economic determinism, antiliberalism, interest convergence, revisionism, and experience-based narratives.

The central tenet of CRT is that racism is normal, as evidenced by the everyday experiences of raced groups (i.e., Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asians). The theory states that ...