Critical Race Theory (CRT): a curse or a blessing?

Part 1 of 3:

by Robert Archerd, March 2, 2022

In the February 28 issue of the LA Times, Social Psychologist Michael Kraus writes that privileged Americans are in denial about racial disparities, but that progress in racial equality can be real if we begin by understanding racial attitudes across time. He warns, however, that rigidly believing that such progress is automatic and simply the natural course of things is an impediment, as is the constant denial of the existence of systemic gaps.

An important example of this is the general perception among Whites that the Black-White wealth gap is far less than what the data tell us. Kraus and his colleagues have done surveys that show how Americans in general view this disparity. In 1963, a group of 1008 citizens representing the nation in terms of race, region and income, although they realized there was inequality, estimated that on average for every $100 held by White families, Black families had $50. Data, however, revealed the real figure to be $6.

In performing the same study in 2016, the White-Black wealth gap was on average estimated to have lessened greatly and was now thought to be $100 to $90. But actual data showed the gap to be only somewhat less than in 1963, showing it to be $100 to $11.

And according to the most current data (June 2021), median earnings for White versus Black households in America, there is still an 8-to-1 difference ($188K vs $24K).