Christopher Rufo was a successful documentary maker, some of whose shows were broadcast on PBS. He moved to Seattle and his politics moved rightward.
The New Yorker wrote about his rise as a star of conservative politics. An employee of the Seattle city government sent him slides about anti-bias training that started Rufo on a crusade to expose the bias in anti-bias programs.
…in July, 2020, when an employee of the city of Seattle documented an anti-bias training session and sent the evidence to a journalist named Christopher F. Rufo, who read it and recognized a political opportunity.
Rufo, thirty-six, was at once an unconventional and a savvy choice for the leaker to select. Raised by Italian immigrants in Sacramento and educated at Georgetown, Rufo had spent his twenties and early thirties working as a documentary filmmaker, largely overseas, making touristic projects such as “Roughing It: Mongolia,” and “Diamond in the Dunes,” about a joint Uyghur-Han baseball team in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. In 2015, Rufo began work on a film for PBS that traced the experience of poverty in three American cities, and in the course of filming Rufo became convinced that poverty was not something that could be alleviated with a policy lever but was deeply embedded in “social, familial, even psychological” dynamics, and his politics became more explicitly conservative. Returning home to Seattle, where his wife worked for Microsoft, Rufo got a small grant from a regional, conservative think tank to report on homelessness, and then ran an unsuccessful campaign for city council, in 2018. His work so outraged Seattle’s homelessness activists that, during his election campaign, someone plastered his photo and home address on utility poles around his neighborhood. When Rufo received the anti-bias documents from the city of Seattle, he knew how to spot political kindling. These days, “I’m a brawler,” Rufo told me cheerfully.
Rufo has since received many other leaks and has now become the Republicans’ go-to expert on the dangers of anti-bias and anti-racism programs, critical race theory, and The 1619 Project.
The Washington Post wrote this about him:
President Donald Trump was watching Fox News one evening last summer when a young conservative from Seattle appeared with an alarming warning, and a call to action.
Christopher Rufo said critical race theory, a decades-old academic framework that most people had never heard of, had “pervaded every institution in the federal government.”
“Critical race theory,” Rufo said, “has become, in essence, the default ideology of the federal bureaucracy and is now being weaponized against the American people.”
Critical race theory holds that racism is systemic in the United States, not just a collection of individual prejudices — an idea that feels obvious to some and offensive to others. Rufo alleged that efforts to inject awareness of systemic racism and White privilege, which grew more popular following the murder of George Floyd by police, posed a grave threat to the nation. It amounts, Rufo said, to a “cult indoctrination.”
Spurred by Rufo, this complaint has come to dominate conservative politics. Debates over critical race theory are raging on school boards and in state legislatures. Fox News has increased its coverage and commentary on the issue. And Republicans see the issue as a central element of the case they will make to voters in next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.
These issues will be central to the GOP campaign in 2022. Republicans have seized on it as the way to win because they are defending whiteness, tradition, and white identity by making debates about race a threatening presence against which children and adults must be protected.
“Critical race theory” has been debated in academic circles for at least three decades. But now politicians are using it as a cultural wedge issue to attack diversity training and to ban anything in the schools that focuses on the untold story of black history. Nearly half the states have banned “critical race theory” (although it is doubtful that any of the legislators have ever read the works of Derrick Bell or Kimberlee Crenshaw. Many are also banning The 1619 Project, which they see as a fundamental part of critical race theory. Above all, they don’t want whites to feel guilty about slavery, Jim Crow, racial violence, or the KKK.
This question of historical guilt is thorny. None of us wants to be held accountable for what we did not do. But certainly we should be aware of the dark chapters in human history and the atrocities committed because of race, religion, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation. Not everyone has suffered equally, to be sure. But the lesson we must learn today is to learn from history about the cruelty of the past and the importance of treating every human being with respect and dignity.
Teachers are rightly confused and concerned about what and whether they may teach black history.
My view: Teach the facts, teach the conflicts, teach about the dangers of bigotry and hatred. Debate, discuss, and review multiple perspectives.
The ultimate goal of education must be to teach fairness, kindness, character, integrity, and empathy. Teach about the outstanding women and men who have stood for justice regardless of social pressures and stigma. In our history and in all human history, there have been leaders whose courage and conduct defied convention.
Let us teach the world as it was and as we want it to be. We must not allow demagogues, hucksters, ignoramuses, bigots, and politicians to censor what we think, what we read, what we teach, what we learn, what we believe.
Republicans do an excellent job of messaging,, even when the message is inaccurate. Their non-critically thinking constituents and media latch on and repeat the falsehood until it is accepted as fact. In addition to CRT, Republicans have plenty of material to exploit in 2022 including “Defund the Police and Open Borders.” These controversies will all be on the right wing agenda in 2022. Koch backed “socialism” ads will likely get another round of propaganda. The right wing will bombard their low information voters with their lies, and Democrats should be prepared to counter the conservative spin doctors.
Absolutely right. Since 1980, when I started paying attention, every 2 years I feel as if I am watching history repeat itself when I see the Republican spin machine at work, destroying good Democratic candidate after good candidate while the Republican winners just get worse and worse.
AOC is the first politician I can recall (I’m sure there were others) who is absolutely brilliant in countering this. I wish she could give messaging lessons to every politician from president to dogcatcher in how to stop the spin. I think Jen Psaki is also good at this.
But I wish the Dems could all figure out a strong coherent message that every single Democrat says regardless of what the media asks them. That’s basically what the Republicans do and they almost entirely control the narrative.
It’s been fifty years since Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in “Guess Whose Coming in Dinner?” – has anything changed?
Let us teach the world as it was and as we want it to be. We must not allow demagogues, hucksters, ignoramuses, bigots, and politicians to censor what we think, what we read, what we teach, what we learn, what we believe.”
Agreed.
Censorship is bad , whatever form it takes and whoever is doing it.
The cynicism of this political campaign is just stunning.
So let me get this straight- these ideologues who didn’t and don’t attend public schools and run political campaigns bashing public schools have decided to go into our schools and spend the entire summer after a pandemic screaming and yelling at school boards and principals thereby making it impossible for those school boards and principals to complete the huge amount they must do to address student needs post-pandemic.
And they claim they’re “advocates for students”?
The 1776 Project PAC raises money for school board candidates who oppose CRT. The PAC’s founder was interviewed at Catholic Vote (worth a read). Catholic Vote takes credit for 6,000 of the 30,000 letters written to the Biden WH to oppose CRT.
Catholic, yes!!
Some Roman Catholic priests were campaigning to deny Biden the Eucharist because he supports a woman’s right to choose. Rep.Ted Lieu gave the best response. He said several Republican Catholics support the death penalty, and they should be denied communion as well, if Joe Biden is singled out.
There is an opinion piece today in the Washington Post by one of its columnists saying that if the bishops are consistent, they will deny the eucharist to those who support the death penalty or fail to aid the poor, as Jesus preached.
The Hoya, Georgetown University’s student newspaper, wrote 5 days ago about the University’s decision to rescind honorifics from a former Provost. The newspaper notes that Cardinal McCarrick received a similar fate. A decision that Catholic schools in a community should receive tax money is a very poor one given the lack of accountability that news articles have highlighted.
Off topic, “Georgetown Professor (Joshua Mitchell) Warns, CRT Creates ‘Rage’ “.
Can I go into the private school board meetings where these folks send their kids and make it impossible for private schools to get any work done?
Or is this “advocacy” limited to the public schools these folks didn’t and don’t attend and don’t support?
Can I go in and use their kids as political pawns?
likely you do not have the total lack of respect for children which would let you do that…
Agree about teaching facts.
Is the following true, though? I’ve seen a few of these bills/laws, and I don’t recall them banning “critical race theory,” or banning the 1619 Project.
“Nearly half the states have banned “critical race theory” (although it is doubtful that any of the legislators have ever read the works of Derrick Bell or Kimberlee Crenshaw. Many are also banning The 1619 Project, which they see as a fundamental part of critical race theory.”
FLERP!,
It is a exaggeration. So far 5 states have signed a bill critical of CRT, while about 17 more have legislation proposed. See https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/map-see-which-states-have-passed-critical-race-theory-bills-n1271215
Those states do not want teachers of history and social studies to teach honestly about slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, and persistent racial discrimination. The legislators should read Richard Rothstein’s “The Color of Law,”which shows how federal, state, and municipal governments created and enforced housing segregation.
It’s not just legislatures. Utah’s school board, under duress from the state legislature, passed a policy and I will get other state school boards and/or superintendents are doing the same.
I think a basic step in teaching students to think critically is to help students to recognize a fact versus an opinion. This step can actually start in elementary school.
I should have said nearly half the states are considering a ban on CRT and the 1619 Project.
I think that is an accurate statement. State legislatures consider many bizarre things. Thankfully few are passed into law.
Facts are facts. My city installed a bridge through a Black neighborhood, displacing many and rendering others homeless. It’s no accident city hall didn’t do that to a White neighborhood.
Definitely correct.
One of the criticisms of the XL Pipeline is that it was planned to go through Native American lands and to avoid white communities.
Rufo is a graduate of Georgetown Catholic University in D.C. Before that he was a Fellow at Claremont College. Claremont Mckenna College is one of the colleges in the Claremont consortium. Its motto is the lofty (sarcasm), “Civilization prospers with Commerce”.
The Colleges are, “known for the faculty’s conservative political orientation”. The Claremont Mckenna Wikipedia entry enlightens readers about what type of things happen at the institution.
Rufo spoke about CRT at Hillsdale. The college posted his comments at its site, 3-30-2021.
Rufo – Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute (an organization linked to Koch)
Linda,
Claremont McKenna is arguably the most politically conservative college in the Claremont consortium. I don’t think Pomona or Scripps are conservative and Harvey Mudd is sort of the Cal Tech of the consortium. So I think you mean that Claremont McKenna is known for faculty’s conservative political orientation, but not all the other colleges in the consortium are thought of that way (nor are the faculty and students). Also, despite the CMC’s faculty’s conservative political orientation, I think the students still skew moderate to liberal when compared to the country as a whole.
Thank you for the clarification. The reproduced quote made reference to Claremont Mckenna.
Tuition for the colleges is cited at close to $60,000 which contrasts significantly with tuition at Calf.’s state universities.
As a result of the Varsity Blues scandal, colleges and universities in Calf. are required to provide info. about legacy and donor related admissions.
Jan. 21, 2020, Charles Koch’s foundation gave $5.4 mil. to Claremont Graduate University’s Computational Justice Lab. The Lab’s Director joined the university in 2018. Prior to the grant, PR Watch posted an expose, “Koch Criminal Justice Reform Trojan Horse…Following the Money”. The section about “Faith-based treatment” is especially interesting.
PR Watch’s research is worth reading as is the post from another source, “Campus Resistance to Koch $$” (2-5-2020).
I paused in wonder when I read the cv of the Computational Justice Lab Director. His research papers reflect quite a jack-of-all-trades economist.
Related to Koch’s largesse to the Lab, the Director received grants prior to his Claremont employment of $10,000 per year, 2012-2014, from a Charles Koch Foundation.
A few selective titles of the Director’s research efforts- “The Perils of Democracy”, “Rational Pricing in Prostitution: Evidence from 80 m Sex Ads”, “Signaling the Market for Commercial Sex”, “The Role of Beauty in the Organization of Sex Markets”, “Craigslist’s Effect on Female Homicides”. … Uh….
I’m glad you brought this up again, Diane. Many of us here have described CRT as grad-level theory that no one is really teaching in our schools, seized on [and mischaracterized] by Republicans as a wedge issue. 1st clause technically true, 2nd clause obviously so. However I think this essay from John McWhorter suggests a closer look is required. https://johnmcwhorter.substack.com/p/you-are-not-a-racist-to-criticize He summarizes CRT well and points us instead to “critical pedagogy” (derived from it and other critical theory) which he claims is actually spreading in public and private K12 schools. He says “To insist that “CRT” must properly refer only to the contents of obscure law review articles from decades ago is a debate team stunt, not serious engagement with a dynamic and distressing reality.” The comment thread at the article is worth a read. Some report in depth on what they have observed in ed school, in their children’s K12, in diversity training. There is also commentary on K12 material [esp Kendi] from philosophy scholars.
This article also gave me a bit of pause – less import [anecdotal?], but the interviewee is articulate.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/black-lives-matter-curriculum-has-unintended-lesson/618501/
I have been a fan of McWhorter for probably coming on 20 years now. And his “Bloggingheads” podcasts with Glenn Loury (who is also an amazing breath of fresh air) are great.
I am an instant fan from this one post and its comment thread, will probably subscribe.
I just noticed that, somehow, the great Glenn Loury got invited to “This Week” on ABC yesterday.
Thank you for this. Here in Australia, this vile belief has just been imported from the USA, and our most racist politician is crowing that she has successfully stopped it being implemented in schools here – when it is a theory that has never, to my knowledge, ever been touted as a possible curriculum element anyway. I am beyond appalled that public debate has been hijacked for these ends, and I fear it won’t end well.
Well said, Ms. Skidmore!
Perhaps the front edge of CRT-driven curriculum in K12 is at elite private schools? McWhorter’s article mentions 7 schools in the NYC area, naming only Dalton; Brearley is also named in the comment thread. And here is a chilling resignation letter from an Eng teacher at Dwight-Englewood School in NJ: https://www.fairforall.org/profiles-in-courage/dwight-englewood-whistleblower/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=df046454-0cb3-46f8-b928-aadd28294b6f
Here is an example of CRT curriculum guidance – for math!—recommended for CA public schools (tho who knows if anyone’s using it): https://equitablemath.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/11/1_STRIDE1.pdf
The campaign to demonize private prep schools for CRT was cooked by rabid right winger Rick Berman. Post is coming.
Daily Mail. a right wing outlet, never misses an opportunity to trump up the demonization- the coverage is almost comical.
Help! Critical Race Theory’s parakeet keeps me up squawking half the night.
You might have wondered, “Why is Bob squawking half the night?” Now you know.
“squawking half the night”- great synonym for right wing noise.
LOL, Linda!
For once your satire falls flat for me, Bob. CRT has indeed been exploited by the Right, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a real bogeyman. Andrew Sullivan does a good job showing how the New York Times and other mainstream media have led us to think of this as a tempest in a teapot ginned up b cynical Republicans. (Hope the article isn’t behind a paywall).
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/dont-ban-crt-expose-it?r=o10gk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy
I was disappointed in Andrew Sullivan’s article on CRT. He has probably not been in a classroom in 40 years. As a freelance journalist, he is not writing from personal experience.
That there is systemic racism in the United States is simply a fact. It requires a lot of wilful blindness not to see this. That people often act in accordance with interpellations, or unconscious learnings, is clearly so. That everyone who lives in America is unconsciously racist is simply idiotic, doctrinaire, party line jingoism. It’s ideology and, ipso facto, unthinking.
Diane, I do not think you understand the kinds of monomaniacal zealots our colleges are cranking out.
Sullivan writes:
“… one [NYT] staffer wanted to know why every story in the paper wasn’t rooted in an understanding that “racism and white supremacy [are] the foundation of all of the systems in the country.”
Yikes! These kinds of people are training our teachers and becoming teachers. These are not balanced thinkers. Do you think any of them have the appreciation of the liberal arts that you do? They have had an imbalanced education and they want to inflict it on kids.
The editor in chief of the Times, Dean Basquet, did not support that statement and made clear that covering the news must be dispassionate and accurate. I would call that statement one person’s opinion that was not echoed by his boss, thus taken out of context. Andrew Sullivan shifted to the right long ago, and his judgments (like mine) are colored by his ideology.
I wish I could agree that the Right is exaggerating the power and toxicity of CRT, but I don’t think it is. This teacher makes it clear that, at her school, it’s destroying to type of humanistic education that I think you value:
I would bet that 99% of teachers and parents never heard of CRT until the Republicans turned it into a cultural wedge issue, the kind that persuades poor and middle class voters to vote against their own self-interests.
I will grant you, however, that some teachers and schools have gone overboard in their efforts to make the curriculum more diverse and inclusive. A friend’s son attending a private school told me that most of the semester in world literature was devoted to reading a novel by an obscure Nigerian writer–there are illustrious Nigerian writers but not this one. After months of parsing that novel, there were a few weeks to read Shakespeare.
The example you give is frightening, and I fear that sort of skewed teaching is more and more common. And it’s the inevitable result of changes in our colleges. I went to a very unorthodox college in the late 80’s, but even then I heard stories from friends in more conventional schools about humanities courses reduced to “Find the -ism”. They called it “lit crit”. This postmodernist approach has just snowballed, and it’s all many young teachers know. So how else are they going to teach? The colleges are creating a cultural wasteland and calling it “social justice”, to modify the famous Tacitus quote.
I am more concerned about the Bush-Obama-Trump agenda of test and punish and about the resurgent movement to replace public schools with charters and vouchers than about CRT and The 1619 Project. Most white Americans are ignorant about the violations of human rights committed by our government and by ordinary white people. When you realize that thousands of men turned out to view lynchings as a form of entertainment, it is sickening. We can never escape the past unless we confront it honestly.
I don’t think it’s fair to suggest he’s an ideologue. If Andrew Sullivan is not a free thinker who follows his reason whither it leads him, I don’t know who is.
Andrew Sullivan has been a conservative, a liberal, a Republican and a Democrat. At heart, he is a libertarian.
Critical Race Theory hogs the covers.
and its feet are cold
Critical Race Theory is spreading chemtrails in the sky that turn high-school kids transgender. And did I mention the space lazers?
oops lasers
Critical Race Theory slept with a coworker at that conference in Saginaw.
Critical Race Theory always leaves a mess in the bleachers that the janitorial staff has to clean up.
Critical Race Theory changed thousands and thousands of ballots from Trump to Biden.
Critical Race Theory causes cavities.
Critical Race Theory created coronavirus in a lab.
Critical Race Theory is why I am soft in the middle and the rest of my life is so hard.
Or maybe that’s the two 20-year-old white boys dressed like Neo in the Matrix who make up the entire group known as “Antifa.”
Oh, BTW. There are LOTS of facts that, if taught by a K-12 teacher, could get him or her fired.
Critical Race Theory exported all our jobs to China.
Bob,
You are on a roll about CRT!
Critical Race Theory used money from George Soros to organize caravans of rapists and murderers and some of them good people to sneak across our Southern Border and sell drugs and register people to vote for Joe Biden.
I knew it! Thanks for your expose, Bob (incidentally, accent over final vowel).
Critical Race Theory lied about the age of Matt Gaetz’s “companion.”
Critical Race Theory wrote fake news about Trump’s perfect phone call with that Ukrainian guy.
I’m all for teaching CRT. What disturbs me is that it is promoted/highjacked by some powerful group of people and organizations for self-serving purposes.
.
e.g. Catholic Vote and the less politically powerful people behind the 1776 Project PAC.
CRT is the attack du jour against public education and teachers unions. It’s used to stoke the fears of the right wing base. “The new official contents of sex education in Mexico: laicism in the crosshairs”, at the Scielo site, Epub 3-3-2021, is worth a read to understand the right wing plot across nations. The article is much broader in scope than the title indicates.