How Critical Race Theory Applies to Coaching

Diverse Community

Source: We Are The City/Dr. Yvette Ankrah MBE, used with permission.

There is a lot of "buzz" around Critical Race Theory (CRT). Many of the coaches I mentor and train (especially those who identify as white) are not clear on what CRT is and why there is so much opposition towards it. In 2020, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order to cease diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training because some of these training courses used CRT as a framework.

Specifically, some Republican party members denounced CRT's merit and claimed CRT teaches racism and sexism, is divisive, and blames or scapegoats white men for the social ills that exist. As such, many of those who oppose CRT believe we should focus on exceptionalism and only the "good" that has come from our past, ignoring the trauma racism and slavery has played in our nation. In addition, some who oppose CRT also deny that racism or sexism currently exists, which contradicts over 50 years of research and literature in the social science field on this topic. Therefore, opponents of CRT claim that racism is a past issue that no longer exists, and has no application in our current society. Any so-called racially-based experiences, in this view, are exaggerated, media or liberal propaganda, or an excuse to justify lazy, apathetic behavior.

What is CRT?

CRT refers to the "practice of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that emerged in the legal academy and spread to other fields of scholarship," (George, 2021). CRT is an academic or scientific exercise that examines how the social construct of race is embedded in our institutions (e.g., legal system, education system, laws, policies, etc.). Kimberlé Crenshaw, a legal scholar, coined the term “CRT."

The concept of CRT has been around since the 1970s and has been researched worldwide. The purpose of CRT is to understand the inherent nature of institutional racism and how it creates a type of classism, where people of color (POC; specifically those of African descent, but also any group not identified as being part of the dominant social order) are positioned to be a type of "lower" class group and justifies why they may have less success or limited access to resources.

Furthermore, CRT proposes institutional racism in our society perpetuates the inferiority of POC, which impacts how different groups are treated and unconsciously condones the implicit and explicit biases we have towards other social groups. Therefore, CRT suggests that institutional racism creates systemic and sanctioned social inequities.

Additionally, CRT investigates the role of gender, sexual orientation, diverse abilities, and other social identities, as well as how they intersect. For example, a male who identifies as gay and Black may have different social experiences or social injustices than a female who identifies as Asian, biracial, and Buddhist. Therefore, CRT offers a critique of how intersectionality impacts lived experiences.

The outcome of CRT is to identify ways in which society normalizes the exclusion of or deems "abnormal" individuals—this can also include those who identify as non-binary, and outside of the socially determined concepts of male/female roles. CRT also suggests those who do not conform to racial or age expectations, religious expectations, or what is socially described as "normal" (i.e., white/Anglo-Saxon, male, Christian, and/or Eurocentric) are relegated to second-class citizenry.

(A great article to read on the tenets of CRT and its origin would be: "A Lesson on Critical Race Theory" by Janel George. In the reference/resource section, I have also provided additional reading material to support this article discussion and CRT. In particular, review the list of racist and misogynistic laws that were enforced and some are still on the books in some states or towns: "A History of Racist U.S. Laws.")

It is important to note that CRT proposes our society can create laws or policies that maintain and enforce equality and dismantle systems that adhere to racism, classism, and other social identity exclusions to establish a more egalitarian and equitable society. Moreover, the goal of CRT is not to demonize white people as a group or to blame an individual white person today for the consequences of our institutions.

Coaching Essential Reads

Lessons From Coaching: How to Have Better Conversations

What Gets Results: Insults or External Cues?

However, based on our history, we cannot deny or ignore the impact of slavery, Jim Crow, and other laws that were created and maintained by white men. Likewise, these laws and policies were instituted to reinforce white supremacy and deny nonwhites equal protections under the law and due process, equal access to resources, and equal participation in our society.

Again, CRT studies the role social identity plays in creating, maintaining, and enforcing laws and policies. It also informs us on how institutions normalize racism (or classism) to distribute resources or apply laws within our society. Currently-living white people, as individuals, may not be directly responsible for the systemic social inequalities/inequities that exist. But indirectly, the institutionalization of race, age, gender, and other social identities creates and maintains the caste category created by our white forefathers to see non-white people as inferior groups (compared with their own) and thus sanction second-class citizenry and unequal treatment within our institutions.

The Institution of Coaching

Coaching, as a field, is an institution. It has policies (coaching standards and ethics). There are frameworks or theories that govern our understanding and application of coaching in different areas and other fields. The institution of coaching has a culture, language, and approach that members in the field are strongly encouraged to follow.

Moreover, the institution of coaching is maintained by people. As such, coach training, coaching services, and coaching organizations are influenced by the same concerns as other organizations when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion. So, how does CRT apply to coaching? Check out Part II of this article: The Institution of Coaching through the CRT Lens

Author's Note: I have coined the term "Critical Social Identity Theory" or CSIT, a term that I believe expands on the application and implication of CRT towards other social identity constructs, and brings more awareness to intersectionality. I plan to write more about this at a later date.