On Critical Race Theory
(from inner book jacket) "What Exactly is Critical Race Theory? This concise and accessible exploration demystifies a crucial framework for understanding and fighting racial injustice in the United States". From renowned scholar Victor Ray, "On Critical Race Theory" explains the centrality of race in American history and politics, and how an often mischaracterized intellectual movement became a political necessity. Ray draws upon the radical thinking of giants such as Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to clearly trace the foundations of critical race theory in the Black intellectual traditions of emancipation and the civil rights movement. From these foundations, Ray explores the many facets of our society that critical race theory interrogates, from deeply embedded structural racism to the historical connection between whiteness and property, ownership, and more. In succinct, thoughtful essays, Ray presents, analyzes, and breaks down the scholarship and concepts that constitute this term. He explores how the conversation on critical race theory has expanded into the contemporary popular consciousness, showing why critical race theory matters and why we should all care.