"One would think... that Democrats... would be more than happy to defend the idea that racism exists at every level of American schooling and tout the work of educators to address inequality."

"Instead, many have embarked on a great campaign of denial. This is particularly strange, because significant, equity-based changes in schools across the country should be seen as progressive victories. The problem seems to be that some small portion of what’s produced in the name of equity in schools is pretty embarrassing. That stuff, which mostly can be found in diversity trainings, then gets blasted out to the world as proof that the race hucksters are taking over the schools.... If you’re getting mad at an equity or antiracism idea gone wrong, make sure it’s either an actual policy or part of a curriculum or a training program. This means not getting worked up over singular examples in which a teacher says something in a classroom and then suddenly every 'woke' teacher in America has to answer for them. Try to disregard ephemera like quotes from random parents and, especially, students. Do critically engage with school board members, especially in big cities, and, of course, politicians. As much as possible, try to talk in concrete terms. This goes for both sides. Moral panics feed off ambiguity and confusion...."

From "Can We Talk About Critical Race Theory?" by Jay Caspian Kang (NYT).