Philly’s African American parents, educators talk critical race theory: “Think about what it feels like to be Black”

A Virginia School board meeting reflects a battle playing out across the country over a once-obscure academic doctrine known as Critical Race Theory, in Ashburn
Signs opposing Critical Race Theory line the entrance to the Loudoun County School Board headquarters, in Ashburn, Virginia, U.S. June 22, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Karen Campbell, a Black woman raising a biracial child in Philadelphia, discusses race and identity with her daughter in ways that are nuanced, developmentally appropriate, and grounded in fact.

An educator by trade, Campbell is a first-generation immigrant married to a white man from Pennsylvania who believes that everyone’s story is unique. Through candid discussions, she helps her daughter traverse two distinct life experiences in a country that prefers to put people into boxes, reinforcing in her a positive self-image.