Program Success Magazine Summer 2021 | Page 5

Dr . Ursula Scott
Dr . Ursula Scott Educational & Business Consultant Daytona Beach , Florida

Critical Race Theory

Program Success 5 Summer 2021

Dr . Ursula Scott

Educational & Business Consultant
My name is Dr . Ursula Scott . I am an experienced , female African / Native-American , award-winning educator . While an HBCU undergraduate in Dr . Cheeseborough ’ s Transformational Generative Grammar class , I was implored to have a philosophy of education . In 1989 I came to understand why .
I was fresh out of college and teaching sixth graders at a predominately white school where little Black children were primarily bussed in . A large banner displayed our celebration of Black History Month . That was not a problem ; however , my instruction inside the classroom on this topic was a problem . My African-American assistant principal informed me : # 1 . A white Mom requested a conference ; and # 2 . She and her husband funded the new gymnasium .
The parent arrived armed with a list of questions , the first of which was , what is your philosophy of education ? Thanks to Dr . Cheeseborough , I was prepared with an answer : I believe all children can learn and deserve the opportunity to do so .
From that year until my retirement , I attempted to share the beautiful and often tragically painful history of Carter G Woodson , Olaudah Equiano , Phyllis Wheatley , Langston Hughes , Kunta Kinte , Zora Neal Hurston , W . E . B . Du Bois , Maya Angelou , Alice Walker , Dr . Dan Hale Williams , Dr . Charles Drew , The Real McCoy , Madame CJ Walker , Rosa Parks and others .
When I first introduced Black History Month to my sixthgrade class , Jeremy , a quiet little white boy , demanded , “ Why do we have to learn about Black history ?” The class gasped and turned to me for an answer . The fact that he was asking this question coupled with the look of disappointment and frustration on his little face , lead me to get to the real issue .
“ Why don ’ t you want to study Black history ?” His answer , “ Because every day at the water fountain , these black boys always cut in front of me .”
While his feelings were legitimate and his concerns large in his young eyes , Jeremy would never admit it , but he had certainly seen his fair share of little white kids cutting in the same line at that same water fountain . But he decided to categorize this as a race issue . Kids do it all the time ; so do far too many grown-ups . Representative Webster Barnaby used the following example to justify the elimination of Critical Race Theory ( CRT ) in academia : A black teacher telling her white students that their ancestors enslaved Black people . The students went home upset and shared the teacher ’ s statement with their parents .

Dr . Ursula Scott Educational & Business Consultant Daytona Beach , Florida

The experiences we know to be true about the history of torment , torture and abuse against the Black race in America , Critical Race Theory ( CRT ) sought to trace practices , policies , infrastructures and attitudes to the root causes . The tragedies in Tulsa , Rosewood , Mississippi and Selma are not founded upon theory . They are both blood and brilliance from Black minds and Black bodies that will forever run through the veins of architecture , inventions , medical breakthroughs , athletics , science , engineering , music , art and everything else pulsating into the future of this country .
I have not and will never refer to the crimes committed against generations of blacks as mere subject matter to be taught or discarded . What happened in this country is real . It cannot be silenced , it cannot be white washed , it cannot be watered down , and nothing that anyone says or legislates today or tomorrow will change the bitterness by focusing on one person ’ s discomfort with the truth and how that truth is still misused by too many to benefit too few .