While it’s true that CRT is not listed on the Virginia Standards of Learning (the content all Virginia students are tested on) and several county school boards have issued statements affirming that they do not teach CRT, some CRT-adjacent lessons have been entertained by the Virginia Department of Education. Among other steps, they’ve recommended books about CRT to teachers, and tout Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be Anti-Racist on their website.

Part of the problem is that no one knows exactly what is meant by CRT. Some parents, influenced by rumors and media stories, believe that CRT amounts to teaching kids that all whites are oppressors and all African Americans are victims. Others believe that CRT is the mere teaching of America’s racial history including slavery and civil rights. Nationally, 63 percent believe that students should be taught the “ongoing effects of slavery and discrimination” but only 49 percent support teaching CRT.

The matter is clouded by imprecision, poor information, and deliberate incitement. McAuliffe is not wrong that Republicans are exaggerating the prevalence of CRT. And while it’s undoubtedly the case that some parents object to CRT because they are badly motivated, some are genuinely worried about exacerbating racism in the name of fighting it. Instead of denying that there’s any issue at all, McAuliffe could have stressed that there’s one right way and many wrong ways to teach history. The right way tells the unvarnished truth about slavery, racism, and Jim Crow, while also emphasizing the success of the Civil Rights movement, affirmative action, and other efforts to combat the legacy of racism and discrimination. One wrong way to teach history is to airbrush the brutality of slavery, lynchings, and racism. Another wrong way amplifies race as the sum total of identity, encourages segregationist mindsets, and fails to account for progress.