According to documents made public by Judicial Watch, West Point cadets are taught to examine society through the Marxist prism of critical race theory (CRT).
More than 600 released records show presentation slides about things like white supremacy and queer theory. The documents were given to Judicial Watch only Only after Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense.
One of the presentations mentions “whiteness” and notes that it’s “first necessary to address whiteness” and the “take-for-grantedness of whiteness” before someone could comprehend “racial inequality and slavery.”
The document continues to define “whiteness” as “a location of structural advantage, of race privilege” and “a standpoint or place from which white people look at themselves and the rest of society,” and “a set of cultural practices that are usually unmarked and unnamed.”
Cadets are advised to discuss “How White Networks Exclude Black Men from Blue-Collar Jobs.”
Some of the slides were used to encourage cadets to see society from the race perspective and use that knowledge to address social issues.
“What is the difference between desegregation versus integration?” one of the slides asks. “How would you apply a tenant of CRT to this idea?”
“What is educational sovereignty?” another slide poses the question, “How does it relate to CRT?”
One of the documents indicates that the goal of the training is to familiarize West Point cadets with “difficult topics” in order to enable them “lead more effectively.”
“Regardless of personal views, future leaders need to understand arguments on controversial issues and need to be prepared to thoughtfully answer questions when Soldiers ask about topics in the news, such as Critical Race Theory,” the document claims.
“Debated topics (e.g., controversial Supreme Court decisions, communism, radicalization) are often discussed in the classroom,” it adds. “These discussions are respectful of cadet opinions and foster a deeper understanding of current issues; the ability to engage in such discussion often results in tremendous personal and intellectual growth for cadets.”
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, rejected the claim, saying that exposing West Point cadets to CRT only works to radicalize such young and impressionable minds.
“Our military is under attack—from within,” Fitton said in a press release. “These documents show racist, anti-American CRT propaganda is being used to try to radicalize our rising generation of Army leadership at West Point.”
The documents were made public two months after West Point graduate, and Rep. Mike Waltz ordered that Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, the superintendent of West Point, turn over any data pertaining to cadet training sessions that used CRT.
“I was provided a presentation slide from one of the workshops with the title of ‘White Power at West Point’ and ‘Racist Dog Whistles at West Point,'” Waltz wrote in a letter to Williams. “Additionally, another presentation slide shared with me depicted a lecture by Dr. Carol Anderson of Emory University with the title “Understanding Whiteness and White Rage.”
