Posted on 06/23/2021 1:18:18 PM PDT by UMCRevMom@aol.com
She does not perch herself on a lofty place looking down at We the People hurling wordy explanations our way. She does however speak as a well-rounded and well-educated woman who leaves nothing unsaid about the division caused by manufactured race issues.
Dr. Carol Swain is a superb educator who has lived life from the lowest ebb to the highest flow. She can tell us from life experiences just how radical Critical Race Theory (CRT) is but beyond that she tells us the whole truth about 'systemic racism' as a successful black woman in America.
Read in her open letter below how she began her life with less than most, rose above her circumstances and what she's observed of the toxic lies being taught today in America. *****************************************
WHAT I CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT RACISM
By Carol Swain
Let me tell you how my story ends: I become a tenured, award-winning professor of political science at an Ivy League university, and then at one of the leading universities in the South.
Now let me tell you how my story begins: I grow up in rural Virginia, literally dirt poor. I drop out of school in the eighth grade and have three children by the time I'm 20.
I consider myself to be a reasonably modest person, but even I have to admit that's quite a journey. How did I do it?
I worked hard. Not crazy, 24/7 hard—just hard. I made good decisions. Not brilliant, three-dimensional-chess decisions—just good ones. I met people along the way who helped me and sincerely wanted to see me succeed—not because they had something to gain, but because they were decent people. Almost all of these individuals, by the way, were white.
But mostly, I think I was blessed in one crucial way: I was born in America, a true land of opportunity for anyone of any color or background. In this country, where you start your life does not determine where you end up.
That works in both directions, by the way. You can start out with every advantage and waste them all. Or you can start out with nothing and become a success. It all depends on you. Your attitude is far more important than your race, gender, or social class in determining what you will accomplish in life.
When I hear young blacks—or anyone, for that matter—talk about systemic racism, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I want to laugh because it's such nonsense. I want to cry because I know it's pushing untold numbers of young blacks into a dead end of self-pity and despair. Instead of seizing the amazing opportunities America offers them, they seize an excuse to explain why they're not succeeding.
I was born into a world where systemic racism was real—no-fooling, outright-bigotry, back-of-the-bus real. But here's what you need to know: Yes, that racism shaped the black experience—but even then, it did not define it. Change was in the air. Call it systemic reform.
The modern Civil Rights Movement was in its infancy, and the leaders who fought for equal rights for blacks were men and women of all races. They believed in America and were determined to see it live up to its highest ideals—ideals manifest in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
Did I know, growing up, that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves? I don't think I ever thought about it. If I did, I'd like to think that I would have had enough common sense to know that we can't judge men who lived 250 years ago by the moral standards of our own day.
But I know that Jefferson wrote the words in the Declaration of Independence that made slavery ultimately impossible: that all men are created equal. And I know that Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, Adams and the rest of the Founders risked everything to make my world, my America, possible. How could I not be grateful for that and for the sacrifices so many others have made to preserve it?
The truth is I cannot remember a time when I did not love America and feel pride in the belief that I live in the greatest country in the world. I knew if I diligently pursued my ambitions, I could leave the poverty of my early years, with all its abuse and depression, behind me.
I was fortunate in another way. I was spared the life-sapping, negative messages about America that are crippling a generation of young people. These ideas are poison:☆ White privilege.☆ Whiteness as a form of property.☆ Unconscious racism.☆ Reparations.☆ Microaggressions.☆ Police have it out for blacks.☆ That the United States was created to protect and promote slavery.
These are the ideas young people are told they must accept. And then they're told to reject the ideas that can save them—the antidote: the success principles that enabled me and millions of other Americans to escape lives of poverty.
These principles aren't complicated: work hard, learn from your mistakes, take personal responsibility for your actions. When I made the decisions to get my high school equivalency, attend a community college, and then earn four additional college and university degrees, I believed that my education would open doors. And it did.
It was only when exposed to academic theories of oppression in graduate school that I was informed that because I was black, poor, and female, I could never do what I had already accomplished.
Thank God, it was too late for these toxic messages to stop me.
Don't let them stop you.
***********************************
Carol Swain, PH.D, is an award winning professor of Political Science and Law.
She is a prolific author and editor, having written 6 books. The latest is titled "BE THE PEOPLE: A CALL TO RECLAIM AMERICA'S FAITH AND PROMISE".
Dr. Swain is also a public speaker and political commentator.
It is no surprise she excels in all the above for she has quite a resume:
"...award-winning political scientist, a former professor of political science and professor of law at Vanderbilt University, and a lifetime member of the James Madison Society, an international community of scholars affiliated with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Before joining Vanderbilt in 1999, Dr. Swain was a tenured associate professor of politics and public policy at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Dr. Swain is passionate about empowering others to raise their voices in the public square." Dr. Swain adds a lot of passion to her professional analysis of how Critical Race Theory was introduced in our school system and places of business. She has made many appearances on television and radio programs and on the internet to expose the lies in CRT.
Dr. Carol Swain presents a well-reasoned outline as to why CRT is a misguided theory which teaches our youth how to respond with discrimination toward a non-existent discrimination issue.
To better understand the nonsense that Critical Race Theory presents, Dr. Swain explains:
"Critical race theory is an analytical framework to analyze institutions and culture. Its purpose is to divide the world into white oppressors and non white victims. Instead of traditional forms of knowledge, it holds personal varieties of marginalized minority victim groups, Blacks, Hispanics and Asians, as evidence considered irrefutably by the nature of the dishonesty of their mostly white heterosexual oppressors.
"The ultimate goal of this theory's proponents is to remake society, so that the victim class eventually displaces the oppressors and becomes the new ruling class. Within this framework, white privilege and its unearned benefits become responsible for economic, health and social disparities in minority communities.
"The system of thought advances the narrative of blame that blames the white American guilty for the plight of blacks. And when it comes to education, members of the victim classes are to do all teaching. It is a worldview and narrative that commands white people to sit in obedience and listen quietly to arguments about their unjust gains, as well as their obligations to provide a remedy for them, in this case, to black Americans, whether they're a descendant from slaves or not. There is no way out for whites when it comes to critical race theory, which assumes that racism is permanent, and affects every aspect of society, including politically, economic, social and religious institutions.
"The theory further advances the belief that being born with white skin itself confirms unearned benefits. Therefore, any societal attainment of colorblindness, which in race or ethnicity does not hinder opportunities is impossible. utility in law and decision making is a pipe dream, they can never be attained. Therefore, as this reasoning goes the oppressive system must be dismantled and destroyed. The flawed theory suggests that race and ethnicity will always taint and pollute every decision. And as a result, racial minorities will consistently lose out to white because of structural racism."
Watch this short video presented by the 700 Club, as Dr. Carol Swain continues the conversation, explaining CRT's false premise and illogical conclusions.
CRT IS tge definition of systemic racism
the system is teaching racism
...and become a dirtbag crook like Hunter Biden.
Or you can start out with nothing and become a success.
...like Dr. Carol Swain.
ABSOLUTELY brilliant and succinct! Everyone STOP...and read this!
True dat.
If you are just now getting acquainted with Carol, that is just unfortunate. I myself was unaware of her before 2015 when:
“In November 2015, Vanderbilt University students started a petition asking university administrators to halt Swain’s teaching and require her to attend diversity training sessions. The students accused Swain of becoming “synonymous with bigotry, intolerance, and unprofessionalism”.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_M._Swain#Professional_career
I have been a supporter since that time and contributed to her run for Mayor in Nashville in 2018 and 2019.
One thing, like Trump, is she is not a politician, but she is politically and socially a Conservative. Part of her lack of support in Tennessee is that she is a Black Conservative, so unlike many Dims she did not run for office as a “Black”, taking standard “Black” positions, which meant the media was going to be against her, because she was not on their intellectual plantation.
6, and then felt privileged in 2016 when I discovered her for the first time.
Wow. Thank you for posting this.
I have been a fan of hers for a few years. She is an inspiration, so much so that I feel no need to make snarky or ironic comments or even obscure references. All I can say is I support her 1000% and hope she can get through to some millenials. She is improving the world
bump for later
So happy to see a Carol Swain fan! She’s terrific.
I guess Bidet thinks she is “not black”....
;-)
I graduated from high school in Waynesboro, Virginia and haven't been back but once in almost fifty years. In my mind I can still hear the cheerleaders say "poosh 'um back, poosh 'um back, way back!" and hearing Dr. Swain's voice sort of warm's my soul.
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