Ibram Kendi argues Republicans have 'created imagined monster' in critical race theory debate

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Media top headlines July 9

The New York Times getting criticized for defending 'pornography literacy' for first graders, ex-CNN regular Michael Avenatti getting prison time for Nike extortion, and The Lincoln Project's co-founder saying the Capitol riot was worse than 9/11 round out today's top media headlines

Author Ibram X. Kendi argued in a new piece for The Atlantic that there is "no debate" on critical race theory, except the one being internally waged by Republican operatives.

"The American people aren’t divided, the American people are being divided." Kendi wrote in the piece entitled, "There Is No Debate Over Critical Race Theory."

CRT proponents say the project is an important educational initiative that highlights how racism is embedded in U.S. institutions. But concerned parents have challenged school boards -- sometimes quite directly -- to argue that CRT teaches kids to judge each other by the color of their skin.

But Kendi, a humanities professor at Boston University and author of "How to Be an Antiracist," argued that CRT critics, many of them he identifies as Republican lawmakers and operatives, are omitting key descriptors about theory and creating an "imagined monster."

"The Republican operatives, who dismiss the expositions of critical race theorists and anti-racists in order to define critical race theory and anti-racism, and then attack those definitions, are effectively debating themselves," Kendi wrote. "They have conjured an imagined monster to scare the American people and project themselves as the nation’s defenders from that fictional monster."

PARENTS SAY THEY'RE RUNNING FOR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS TO FIGHT ‘POISONOUS’ CRITICAL RACE THEORY 

The author compared the rhetoric used by CRT critics to language used to "demonize desegregation after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education," adding that the same "conservators of racism" in the 50s and 60s who organized to keep Black kids out of all-white schools are similar to those currently trying to get critical race theory out of American schools. 

Critics hit Kendi for pushing such a confusing narrative.

"Words, what do they mean" asked CRT critic Christopher Rufo.

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CRT has become a major point of contention for parents and school administrators all over the country. Half of U.S. states are taking measures to ban CRT from public schools and parents have begun to directly confront their local school boards about their progressive agendas. 

More recently, parents took an even bolder step to launch campaigns to replace the individuals on those school boards. The media has often appeared to take the side of the pro-CRT crowd, humiliating proponents and parents in the process. CRT critic Chris Rufo has been one of the media's favorite targets. MSNBC's Joy Reid interrupted him several times on her show last month, before MSNBC contributor Eddie Glaude Jr. rolled his eyes at him. 

Kendi recently stirred more controversy by headlining a discussion on Wednesday about educating children at an American Federation of Teachers conference.