[Ads-l] Earliest Citation for "Critical Race Theory"

[Andy Bach]

Interesting article about Bell which includes a timeline of events, but
offers no specifics as to when C.L.S (Critical Legal Studies) became or
begat C.R.T. - it does include the exchange:
Vinay Harpalani told me, “Someone asked him once, ‘What do you say about
critical race theory?’ ” Bell first replied, “I don’t know what that is,”
but then offered, “To me, it means telling the truth, even in the face of
criticism.”

On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 8:16 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:

> The parent term is actually "Critical Legal Studies," and this too might
> be worth including in OED.  It is not accurate to say that "Critical Legal
> Studies" or "critical legal scholars" is about race, although racial issues
> were of some interest to the "crits."  Incidentally, the term "crits" is a
> significant one in legal academia, and arguably it too should be included
> in OED.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> dave at wilton.net <dave at WILTON.NET>
> Sent: Monday, November 8, 2021 8:06 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Earliest Citation for "Critical Race Theory"
>
>
> There is also the related "critical legal scholars," which dates to 1982.
> It doesn't have the term "race" in the title, but that's what it's about.
> And the core ideas of CRT, but again not the term, date to Derrick Bell's
> 1973 book "Race, Racism, and American Law."
>
> [
> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wordorigins.org%2Fbig-list-entries%2Fcritical-race-theory-critical-legal-studies&data=04%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C4487a831bb7d4101d8f908d9a2c10631%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637719772177161483%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=BNJaMrEDKgzIqYmvqeDqBpMd4CIbwO478gjEHXGTg%2B4%3D&reserved=0
> ](
> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wordorigins.org%2Fbig-list-entries%2Fcritical-race-theory-critical-legal-studies&data=04%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C4487a831bb7d4101d8f908d9a2c10631%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637719772177161483%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=BNJaMrEDKgzIqYmvqeDqBpMd4CIbwO478gjEHXGTg%2B4%3D&reserved=0
> )
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "ADSGarson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Monday, November 8, 2021 6:50am
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Earliest Citation for "Critical Race Theory"
>
>
>
> On Sun, Nov 7, 2021 at 8:00 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> wrote:
> >
> > The term "critical race theory" is not in OED, but its recent meteoric
> > rise presumably means it will soon be added. The earliest citation
> > I can readily find is the following:
> >
> > 1989 Anthony E. Cook in Florida Law Review Summer 441 (HeinOnline)
> > African-American history (and the African-American critical race theory
> > that builds upon it) illustrates the need to connect theoretical
> reflection
> > on what constitutes the good life to pragmatic efforts to secure that
> state
> > of existence in the real world.
> >
> > There was a Conference on Critical Race Theory at University of Wisconsin
> > Law School, July 7-12, 1989, but I don't know if this was accompanied by
> > any OED-citable printed occurrence.
>
> Excellent topic, Fred. Here is a potential lead. Below is an excerpt
> from a 1990 article that contains a footnote referring to an issue of
> "Critical Race Theory Newsletter" dated October 27, 1989. Maybe some
> organization or person has an archive of this newsletter. The OED
> could cite the first issue (if it is early enough).
>
> Date: June 1990
> Journal: Harvard Law Review
> Volume 103, Number 8
> Article: Introduction: Choosing Sides in the "Racial Critiques" Debate
> Author: Scott Brewer
> Published by: The Harvard Law Review Association
>
> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F1341318&data=04%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C4487a831bb7d4101d8f908d9a2c10631%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637719772177161483%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=dPY3XokOriGnN3mVo4Om7FTmj90fQsEfcvJ%2FT9CtdKc%3D&reserved=0
>
> [Begin excerpt of footnote]
> Robert Williams' Parable, Critical Race Theory Newsletter, Oct. 27,
> 1989, at 2, 2. Professor Richard Delgado rightly offers this panel
> discussion as evidence of the "furor" that Kennedy's article aroused.
> See Delgado, supra note 7, at 1872 & n.5
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
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a

Andy Bach,
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