In Critical Race Theory, privilege equals “whiteness” and oppression equals “blackness.” Combined with the fact that Kyle J. Howard was raised by a set of highly-affluent, upper-class attorney parents in a posh suburb (one of whom was white), this means that according to the “helpful analytical tool” of Critical Race Theory, Howard is a privileged white man. And this privileged white man suggested several days ago on Twitter that the modern homeschool movement was designed to promote racism.
The modern homeschool movement was founded by John Holt in 1977 when his popular newsletter, Growing Without Schooling, was published and started circulating. Holt had already become a respected scholar on education, with books he published on the subject in the previous decade including Why Kids Fail and How Children Learn.
Holt was a liberal who left the public school system to lecture at Harvard and the University of California Berkely. Holt not only regularly challenged racism, but also what he called “classism” and it is safe to call Holt a Social Justice Warrior.
Raymond Moore also helped to found the homeschooling movement. Moore wrote his 1981 book, Home Grown Kids, was seen as the primary introductory work for homeschoolers. Moore worked for the U.S. Department of Education and was a devout Seventh Day Adventist. There is no indication that Moore held to any racist tendencies or beliefs.
In 1983 the homeschool movement was wed with the Christian right with the creation of the Homeschool Legal Defense Fund by Michael Farris (a non-racist) and it included two other prominent figures; James Dobson of Focus on the Family and R.J. Rushdoony of the Chalcedon Institute (who adamantly rejected racist “kinist” doctrines sometimes attributed to him).
It is unknown why Howard, who considers Beth Moore his “auntie,” believes homeschool is racist. Howard admittedly homeschools his own children.
But then again, Kyle J. Howard is a privileged white man…so, that explains a lot.
