CRT Lens
This CRT concept argues that race is not biological, but rather a category invented by societies to maintain power hierarchies.
What is "race as a social construct"?
This director, writer, and executive producer created the miniseries When They See Us.
Who is Ava DuVernay?
According to CRT and as shown in the series, the police did not identify the five teenagers through evidence but through this social mechanism that marks an entire demographic as a default threat.
What is racial profiling (or the social construct of race)?
This legal scholar coined the term "Critical Race Theory" and developed the concept of intersectionality.
Who is Kimberlé Crenshaw?
This inflammatory term was used by the media to describe the group of teenagers in Central Park, dehumanizing them as a violent pack.
What is "wilding"?
Antron McCray's father coercing him to sign a false confession illustrates this CRT concept, which examines how race intersects with class, family dynamics, and survival instincts.
What is intersectionality?
According to CRT, this principle explains why racial progress only occurs when it also benefits those in power.
What is "interest convergence"?
This member of the Exonerated Five was 16 years old and was tried as an adult, spending over 13 years in maximum-security prison.
Who is Korey Wise?
The miniseries functions as this type of CRT narrative device by rejecting official police accounts and centering the trauma and survival of the Exonerated Five.
What is a counter-story (or counter-storytelling)?
This CRT concept values narratives from marginalized voices that challenge dominant, oppressive histories.
What is "counter-storytelling"?
This prosecutor, played by Felicity Huffman, led the charge against the five teenagers and became a symbol of prosecutorial misconduct in the case.
Who is Linda Fairstein?
CRT's principle that "racism is ordinary" is demonstrated in the series when the police, prosecutors, and judges follow standard procedures that systematically disadvantage the five teenagers. Proving the problem is not just a few "bad apples" but this.
What is systemic (or institutional) racism?
Often called the "godfather" of Critical Race Theory, this legal scholar originated the interest convergence principle and argued that racism is a permanent fixture in American society.
Who is Derrick Bell?
In 2002, this convicted serial rapist confessed to the Central Park assault, and DNA evidence confirmed he acted alone, leading to the exoneration of all five men.
Who is Matias Reyes?
The thesis of our analysis argues that the Central Park Five were convicted not by evidence, but by this: deeply ingrained societal prejudices weaponized through the myth of "colorblind" law.
What are systemic racial biases (or the mythology of colorblind justice)?