This unit was designed for a Constitutional Law elective, however, could be applicable to a U.S. History and/or Civics course as well. Students will be introduced to the basic framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the need to disrupt the perceived neutrality of the law. CRT grew out of the legal field and works to recognize the deep role racism plays in all aspects of American society. Legal scholar Mari Matsuda breaks down the basic tenets of CRT into six themes, one of which is the idea that CRT “expresses skepticism toward dominant legal claims of neutrality, objectivity, colorblindness, and meritocracy.”1 This will be a grounding notion of this unit. Students will examine ways in which the law has been used to uphold white supremacy.
