Monroe arrived around 7:30 each morning with responsibilities to the farm animals and preparation for the day. I usually arrived around 8:30 when the dew had begun to dry off the grass. My responsibility was a five-acre yard with several flower beds surrounded by trees and outdoor stone benches. The grass cutting usually took the major portion of three days. There was no riding mower or weed eater. Everything was done by hand.

Emma, Monroe’s wife, was the housekeeper for two homes owned by the McGarity’s. Emma made the world’s best lemonade and Monroe and I on more than one occasion smacked our lips and praised her for her talent. Monroe was a man of color – black and African American were not terms used during this era. I am Caucasian or white. Monroe and I worked, laughed, joked and shared life’s joys and sorrows together. To my knowledge we never had a cross word with each other.

If Monroe and I were in school today we would be forced to study Critical Race Theory (CRT). This lockness monster is an overriding controversial issue that is festering within the political minds of officials who want to implement it in our schools with our children before clear knowledge of what it is they are trying to do. On the surface it appears as an extraordinary, divisive idea that is composed of two groups….black victims and whiter oppressors.

Systemic racism, as correctly understood was exemplified by segregated schools and separate lunch counters. It was the wholesale murder of over 6 million Jews by the Nazis in Germany. Systemic racism is NOT a relatively small number of isolated, unrelated incidences over a period of many years. Ask any young person, of any race, if they have ever experienced insults from friends, have ever felt slighted by teachers, or who have ever suffered the occasional injustice in school, and you are bound to hear grievances, some petty some not. We have not had systemic racism against Blacks (people of color)in this country since the Civil Rights reforms of the 1960’s. A period of more than 50 years. To state otherwise is a flat misrepresentation of our country’s history and adds no understanding to any of today’s societal issues. In fact, let it be noted that longstanding and widespread policies such as Affirmative Action and the promotion of minorities point in precisely the opposite direction. There is more than adequate evidence that America is Not a racist country. There is more than adequate evidence that racism is not the problem but rather a lack of moral character. History is clear, our forefathers came to America and established colonies with a platform of strong character development based upon Judeo-Christian values. You only have to take a walk through our Capital city of Washington, DC to note the reference to Godly principles carved in buildings as a common theme. It is the loss of individual and collective character within our elected officials and throughout the population, not racism, causing the ills we face.

Having said the aforementioned, I am angered at the prospect of school systems requiring young people to sit through lectures and presentations where police officers are described as ‘murderers’ without any context. Such comments are insulting. I recently read the lecture from Dr. Carol Anderson of Emory University which included the comment, “Understanding Whiteness and White Rage”

The current direction of higher education and CRT teaching is pitting people of color (blacks) and whites against each other and causing needless divisiveness. CRT is destructive to our school systems and the cohesion and morale of our young people. IT WILL CAUSE IRREPARABLE HARM TO UNITY.

If your school system is or has implemented any form of Critical Race Theory as part of the school curriculum, I encourage you to become informed of this vital issue as quickly as possible and be sure classes in the humanities and social sciences provide lesson of instruction dedicated to teaching the history and writings of ALL people. And in the voice of Martin Luther King……”little children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. “