Describe the critical race theory as an alternative perspective on racial and ethnic relations

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Critical race theory derives its foundation from the U.S. civil rights

tradition. The theory has several major premises, including the belief that

racism is such an ingrained feature of U.S. society that it appears to be

ordinary and natural to many people. As a result, civil rights legislation

and affirmative action laws (formal equality) may remedy some of the

more overt, blatant forms of racial injustice but have little effect on subtle,

business-as-usual forms of racism that people of color experience as

they go about their everyday lives. According to this approach, the best

way to document racism and ongoing inequality in society is to listen to

the lived experiences of people who have experienced such

discrimination. In this way, we can learn what actually happens in regard

to racial oppression and the many effects it has on people, including

alienation, depression, and certain physical illnesses. Central to this

argument is the belief that interest convergence is a crucial factor in

bringing about social change. From this approach, civil rights laws have

typically benefited white Americans as much (or more) as people of color

because these laws have been used as mechanisms to ensure that

"racial progress occurs at just the right pace: change that is too rapid

would be unsettling to society at large; change that is too slow could

prove destabilizing.".