Need to tell the truth

I appreciated the op-ed by Robert Maranto on the remarkable educator Marcus Foster in the Democrat-Gazette. However, I am concerned that Maranto coupled praise for Foster with disparagement of critical race theory (CRT). He claimed that Foster’s assassination by the Symbionese Liberation Army was for insisting that learning requires order, and that critical race theorists deride the idea of order in education.

According to EDsource, Foster was murdered in 1973 by the SLA because of his attempt to make schools safer by hiring security guards. The African American Registry writes they killed Foster because of his alleged support of a plan to create a student identification card system. Foster had already gained support from the board to modify it to meet community concerns.

The assassination was pointless and chilling. However, connecting it with CRT is unjustified.

CRT denotes that systemic racism is part of American society, from education and housing to employment and health care; that racism is more than the result of individual prejudice. It is essentially an academic response to the erroneous notion that American society and institutions are “colorblind.”

CRT recognizes the impact of unjust policies on generations of people of color. It is an attempt to bring order to a system that discriminates against one group in order to favor another. Derrick Bell, the founder of CRT, said it was “telling the truth, even in the face of criticism.”

With “Beloved” by Toni Morrison one of the 50 most banned books in America, more than ever we need to keep telling the truth.

SHELLEY BUONAIUTO

Fayetteville