There is a long history behind the latest racist political appeals.

It is not long ago that racist southern politicians rallied against integration with an argument for “states’ rights,” a call to be free of federal laws calling for an end to segregation.

Now the message is that white parents are being ignored when they complain that their children are uncomfortable learning about racism…

Critical Race Theory — broadly, a focus on racial disparities as a fact of American life — is not explicitly taught in Virginia’s public schools or anywhere in American public schools. But Republicans nationwide have made it a boogeyman to excite racial divisions and get their base to the polls.