Guest editorial: You can't racelight CRT!

• Date: 02 April 2024
• Pages: 389-399
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-04-2024-427
• Published date: 02 April 2024
• Author: William A. Smith,Laurence Parker

Guest editorial: You can’t

racelight CRT!

Introduction

In this special issue of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, we explore a

critical juncture in the domains of education, policy and social justice: the strategic

misrepresentation and undermining of critical race theory (CRT) and the consequent

defensive posture forced upon its proponents. This phenomenon, partly encapsulated by

what Wood and Harris (2022) term “racelighting,”mirrors the concept of gaslighting.

Racelighting is described as “an act of psychological manipulation where Black, Indigenous,

and People of Color (BIPOC) receive racial messages that lead them to second-guess their

lived experiences with racism”(Wood and Harris, 2022, para. 1). The issue arises within a

volatile socio-political context, particularly in nations like the United States of America, the

United Kingdom and Canada, where CRT has faced significant opposition from conservative

factions (James et al., 2021).

These regions witnessed an unprecedented surge of anti-racist mobilization in 2020,

primarily triggered by the murder of George Floyd. The global protests not only served as a

direct response to this specific act of racial violence but also symbolized a collective outcry

against a long history of racist atrocities and systemic injustices endured by minoritized

communities. Dubbed “the racial reckoning,”this period marked extensive demonstrations

worldwide. Over 260 towns and cities in the UK demonstrated, and significant protests were

held in major cities across Canada and the USA, underscoring the widespread and profound

impact of these issues (James et al., 2021). Critics of CRT, often driven by a desire to maintain

the status quo, mischaracterize the theory as a divisive tool that inappropriately centers racial

discussions and fosters resentment against white individuals for historical and systemic

racial injustices.

This misrepresentation of CRT, steeped in an attempt to preserve the existing power

dynamics in the racial and social strata, sets the stage for understanding the significance of

“racelighting.”The term captures the insidious process of delegitimizing the experiences and

realities of racially minoritized groups, systematically denying and minimizing their

encounters with systemic racism. This special issue aims to elucidate this concept and

challenge the erroneous narratives surrounding CRT. In doing so, it seeks to reaffirm the

importance of CRT as a critical framework for understanding and dismantling systemic

racism in various spheres, particularly in education. Consequently, the current discourse

surrounding CRT is replete with misconceptions and political rhetoric that distorts its

purpose and scope. Critics often present it as a doctrine seeking to impart guilt upon

individuals for historical racial transgressions rather than what it truly is: a scholarly lens

through which to examine and address the deep-seated racial inequities embedded within

legal, social, political and educational systems. The widespread debates and legislative

actions aiming to limit the teaching and application of CRT, particularly in academic settings,

stem from this misrepresentation (Allweiss and Halvorsen, 2023). These developments

represent more than just theoretical debates; they are practical concerns with significant

implications for how societies comprehend and confront race, power and inequality issues.

This special issue serves as a clarion call to educators, scholars and policymakers.

It underscores the necessity of CRT in providing nuanced understandings of the systemic

nature of racism and its impact on educational practices and policies. The articles herein

challenge the false assertions designed to fuel white anger and resist critical examinations of

Guest editorial

389

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 3, 2024

pp. 389-399

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-04-2024-427