Giving Them the Tools: Critical Race Theory in an American Government Course

• In Event: Content Teaching as an Act of Social Justice

Abstract

This narrative inquiry focuses on a Black woman who teaches a high school American Government course using a critical race framework. As most of her students are Black children living in poverty, her course is framed around understanding how to protect themselves in a society that seeks to oppress them in multiple ways. Using critical race theory, the findings of this study involve teaching students about the permanence of racism, providing them with a platform to speak about their oppression, and the racism that this teacher received from her White colleagues. The findings of this study have implications for researchers, teacher educators, and educational policy makers.

Author

• Kristen Duncan, Clemson University