“Whites, it must frankly be said, are not putting in a similar mass effort to reeducate themselves out of their racial ignorance. It is an aspect of their sense of superiority that the white people of America believe they have so little to learn. The reality of substantial investment to assist Negroes into the twentieth century, adjusting to Negro neighbors and genuine school integration, is still a nightmare for all too many white Americans…These are the deepest causes for contemporary abrasions between the races. Loose and easy language about equality, resonant resolutions about brotherhood fall pleasantly on the ear, but for the Negro there is a credibility gap he cannot overlook. He remembers that with each modest advance the white population promptly raises the argument that the Negro has come far enough. Each step forward accents an ever-present tendency to backlash.”
— MLK, Where Do We Go From Here: 1967
CRT doesn't disguise its Marxian leanings. It's right in the name "Critical" and "Theory". Critical Theory was and is neo-Marxist - the application of Marxian critique to figure out how to change society.
CRT developed as a response to legal "colorblindness" in the post 1965 era, after racism in the law had been abolished. The sense, in the 70s, was that things were quickly becoming more equal.
Derrick Bell and others were arguing that, no, things had not become equal. De jure racism was eroding, but de facto racism still persisted, and institutions were still white supremacist, and were perpetuating racism.
CRT is just reflecting what MLK said in the above quote. It's about the backlash.
This current right-wing effort is a great example of the kind of racist backlash that happens. It is the backlash. Pushing CRT into the media spotlight, to demolish it, may have some of the following outcomes:
When CRT was making waves in the media, I had to go re-read about it. I'd only read a few Bell articles here and there, and didn't remember anything about them.
Digging into the articles, what I got was that CRT was mainly about law. It got picked up by other fields, but
PS - Marxism is as funny as hell. You should read some Marx and Engels writing about events of their day. They're both very droll, and Engels would have been great in flame wars.
RE: Critical Race Theory - Marxism disguised.