Detroit superintendent defends Critical Race Theory

The superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, Nikolai Vitti, said he is proud to defend Critical Race Theory that is embedded in the district’s curriculum. Vitti was critical of the Republican-majority Michigan state legislature trying to ban the controversial theory from Michigan’s classrooms.

The Washington Examiner reported Vitti’s remarks, which came during a district board meeting on November 9. Vitti said, “Our curriculum is deeply using critical race theory, especially in social studies, but you’ll find it in English Language Arts and the other disciplines.” He added, “We’re very intentional about creating a curriculum, infusing materials, and embedding critical race theory within our curriculum.”

The Detroit superintendent expressed partisan political views in support of the maligned Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “I think our best strategy politically is to lean on the governor to veto it, as she has done with other legislation that has passed in Michigan over the past couple of years,” Vitti said of Whitmer.

Whitmer is facing problems of her own, such as violating the state’s lockdown orders (which she imposed) by visiting her father in Florida and trying to close a vital oil pipeline from Canada.

Vitti should not have waded into politics because it is not a public school superintendent’s job to play partisan politics, as the position should be neutral. But, as recent months have demonstrated, many superintendents toe the “woke” or progressive ideological line and are diametrically opposed to more moderate or conservative parents, who are the superintendent’s constituents. If Vitti wanted to be political, he could run for elected office instead of an appointed bureaucratic position as school superintendent.

Critical Race Theory is the flawed and inaccurate theory that claims all longtime or established American institutions, whether they be political, legal, or educational, are inherently racist and are biased against black Americans. It promotes the unproven argument that America has not progressed from the allegedly embedded racism in these institutions, despite history proving the theory and its supporters wrong.

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