Stop! Critical Race Theory

Here’s a protest poem by Concetta against race, gender and class, against Critical Race Theory – exclusively for Different Truths.

In the world of Critical Race Theory,
where justice meets social inquiry,
the intersection of identity
is where we must lend our scrutiny.
 
For race, gender, and class combine
to shape a person’s lot in life,
and the marginalised, oft left behind,
are left to struggle and strive.
 
The colour of one’s skin plays a role
in how the world perceives their soul,
and gender, too, brings its own strife,
as women struggle for a voice in life.
 
Class divides us by the amount we possess,
with the rich looking down on the rest,
and poverty, a trap that stifles success,
leaves hopelessness in its distress.
 
But the critical race theory illuminates,
how these identities all interrelate,
and how the intersectionality of fate,
inevitably shapes a person’s state.
 
When a person is black and also a woman,
they face a unique intersection,
where they must fight to be seen,
battling against two forms of oppression.
 
They carry the weight of both genders,
with their blackness adding another blender
to the mix of societal tender
denied the opportunity to be a contender.
 
Similarly, a person who is poor,
must struggle through an additional door
closed to them by a rigged score,
barely able to survive, let alone soar.
 
As they climb the ladder of success,
they’re faced with limited access,
all while fighting for genuine progress,
Meeting obstacles that cause undue duress.

Critical race theory calls us to explore,
how race and gender intersect with a class at its core,
and how those less privileged, living in folklore,
Are often pushed to the margins and ignored.
 
CRT calls on us to recognise,
intersectionality within our society,
and to acknowledge the pain and tears that is sequestered by
those who are repeatedly denied.
 
Only by acknowledging the intersection of identity,
can we truly break the chains of inequality,
and in doing so, we can work to achieve
harmony, and true social justice utterly.

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths