OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice didn’t hold back her opinions while appearing on ABC’s “The View.”
Speaking to the left-wing hosts of the show, Rice slammed Critical Race Theory (CRT).
She argued that CRT is wrong to make white people “feel guilty” over the past.
It is also wrong to make black people feel “disempowered by race,” she added.
These comments came while discussing the issue of whether parents need to have more influence over what is being taught in schools.
Watch the clip:
.@CondoleezzaRice says no to the racist critical race theory! pic.twitter.com/c5zNqKddYj
— MRCTV (@mrctv) October 20, 2021
Rice said, “But if I could take a moment to talk about the whole issue of Critical Race Theory and what is, and is not being taught, I come out of an academic institution, and this is something that academics debate. What is the role of race and so forth?”
“And let me be very clear; I grew up in segregated, Birmingham, Alabama. I couldn’t go to a movie theater, or to a restaurant with my parents. I went to segregated schools till we moved to Denver.”
“My parents never thought I was going to grow up in a world without prejudice, but they also told me, ‘That’s somebody else’s problem, not yours. You’re going to overcome it, and you are going to be anything you want to be.’ And that’s the message that I think we ought to be sending to kids.”
“One of the worries that I have about the way that we’re talking about race is that it either seems so big that somehow white people now have to feel guilty for everything that happened in the past. I don’t think that’s very productive,” Rice continued.
“Or black people have to feel disempowered by race. I would like black kids to be completely empowered, to know that they are beautiful in their blackness, but in order to do that, I don’t have to make white kids feel bad for being white.”
“So somehow, this is a conversation that has gone in the wrong direction.”
Here’s some of the transcript:
Whoopi Goldberg: So, the tight Governor’s race in blue-leaning Virginia is being seen as a barometer for which way America will swing in 2022 in the midterms. And one of the key issues up for debate is how much of a voice parents should have in their child’s school curriculum, especially when it comes to subjects like sex education, and Critical Race Theory. I thought they didn’t teach Critical Race Theory until they went like law school or something.
Condoleezza Rice: I sure hope not, because I’m not certain seven year olds need to learn it.
Whoopi Goldberg: It just sounds crazy to me. But the question is, do parents need more influence here, or should they leave the lesson planning to the pros?
Joy Behar: Well, I was a teacher and there is a curriculum that teachers follow, and it’s studied by supposedly experts. I have a lot of education credits because you learn how to teach, and you learn your subject. So you can’t really pick that up against a parent who just is annoyed that you’re teaching “To Kill a Mockingbird,” or whatever the curriculum says. You can’t have the parents interfering to that extent in the curriculum, but it’s nice to hear from them — but if they are adamant and they don’t want you to teach what is going to be taught, period, they’re going to have to homeschool their kids because this is not going to wash.
Condoleezza Rice: Well, they’re actually homeschooling them in increasing numbers. And I think that’s a signal. First of all, parents ought to be involved in their children’s education.
Joy Behar: Yes, they should.
Condoleezza Rice: Their children are in school seven hours; that’s a very formative period. And I think parents ought to have a say. We used to have parent-teacher conferences. We used to have PTAs. There are lots of ways for parents to be involved, and they should be. But if I could take a moment to talk about the whole issue of Critical Race Theory and what is, and is not being taught, I come out of an academic institution, and this is something that academics debate. What is the role of race and so forth? And let me be very clear; I grew up in segregated, Birmingham, Alabama. I couldn’t go to a movie theater, or to a restaurant with my parents. I went to segregated schools till we moved to Denver. My parents never thought I was going to grow up in a world without prejudice, but they also told me, “That’s somebody else’s problem, not yours. You’re going to overcome it, and you are going to be anything you want to be.” And that’s the message that I think we ought to be sending to kids.
Condoleezza Rice: One of the worries that I have about the way that we’re talking about race is that it either seems so big that somehow white people now have to feel guilty for everything that happened in the past. I don’t think that’s very productive. Or black people have to feel disempowered by race. I would like black kids to be completely empowered, to know that they are beautiful in their blackness, but in order to do that, I don’t have to make white kids feel bad for being white. So somehow, this is a conversation that has gone in the wrong direction.
Joy Behar: Repeat that last part, you don’t have to what?
Condoleezza Rice: Yeah. You know, there’s a little bit of, in order for black kids who, quite frankly, for a long time, the way they were portrayed, the way their history was portrayed, it was second class citizenship.
Joy Behar: Of course.
Condoleezza Rice: But I don’t have to make white children feel bad about being white in order to overcome the fact that black children were—
