Campus News
March 10, 2022
PAGE 7
Breaking down Critical Race Theory In the ninth annual Martin Luther King Jr. lecture featured Andrea M. Kane and Jonathan Friedman and focused on the connection of racial issues in education. __ By Amanda Coelho __ Contributor
Springfield College hosted its ninth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture on March 1 over Zoom, a night of acknowledging racial issues in education and the broader world. June 14, 1964 was an extraordinary day in the history of the College. On that day, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the commencement address on Alden Street during the peak of his fame. The connections between racial issues and education are prevalent today. The main focus was Critical Race Theory: The close examination of race as a social construct, and the push from scholars and activists to defy common stereotypes and beliefs about race. Andrea M. Kane, a Professor of Practice in Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania’s graduate school of Education, was a panelist for the event and gave her perspective on racial issues
in educational settings and beyond. “Discouraged efforts and motivations and dreams of marginzalized groups are terrorism for these groups of people,” Kane explained. “One of the biggest issues we seem to face – especially in the academic world – is minorities being discouraged from speaking their voice and fighting for equality.” Another issue that was addressed during the seminar was the talk by white people of needing to protect their rights. “It’s so disturbing,” Kane said. “There are many people who don’t need protection and there are many people who do need protection. Protection from the truth should not be the issue [regarding education in K-12 schools about sensitive racial topics in history]. Who was concerned when we talked about slavery with black students in the classroom? Who worried about the Black
The ninth Martin Luther King Jr. lecture was held over Zoom on March 1 and featured Andrea M. Kane and Jonathan Friedman. (Photo by Amanda Coelho)
students who were feeling uncomfortable or shamed in school? “We need to talk about the truth with students in the classroom,” Kane continued. “By having these conversations about the truth, whatever it may be, we learn the language to talk about our history.” Florida’s recent passage of a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that prohibits classroom discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation shows that this issue is getting worse, said Kane, who stressed the importance of speaking the truth in all situations, education-
al or not. “More than ever before we are growing more diverse in many places,” Kane said. “There are less white people.” Jonathan Friedman, the lecture’s other panelist, is the Director of Free Expression and Education at PEN America. Friedman uses powerful speech and learning to drive efforts toward a more inclusive and informative society. He spoke mainly about the power of public education and the conservative groups of people who attempt to overpower and reverse advancements in
diversity, inclusion and equity. “It cannot be illegal to teach history to students that makes them uncomfortable. History is very uncomfortable; it’s meant to make you uncomfortable. It’s not to make us feel good, it’s to make us learn from our mistakes and prevent repetitions of historical parallels and mistakes we have made,” Friedman said. “For example, The 1619 Project is a banned book in Texas, but none of the books written by Adolf Hitler or white supremacy are banned across See MLK continued on Page 8
