FORUM Unpacking the CRT in Negotiating White Science Eileen R. Carlton Parsons • Billye Rhodes • Corliss Brown Received: 24 June 2011 / Accepted: 24 June 2011 / Published online: 12 August 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 Abstract In this forum, we summarize CRT’s origins, tenets common to most CRT writings, and CRT’s evolution. We discuss Yerrick’s article Negotiating White Science with respect to certain CRT premises. Specifically, we use the CRT tenet of racism as emphasized in first- and second-generation CRT and CRT elements liberal racial ideology and voices of color to critically examine Yerrick’s propositions. Keywords Critical race theory Á Liberal racial ideology Á Counter narrative Á Black students Even though Gloria Ladson-Billings and William Tate (1995) introduced critical race theory (CRT) to the field of education over a decade ago, its uses in science education as a lens to examine racial inequalities and racial inequities have been very limited. With the onset of a post-racial discourse after the United States (US) Presidential election of the first individual who self-identified as African-American, we, the authors, expected any momentum enjoyed by CRT in education circles to subside. After all, history shows that the racialization, subjugation determined by societal needs, of various groups in the US and its contemporary effects are unwelcomed topics for public discussion; such issues typically surface when provocations demand attention. Consequently, we find Randy Yerrick’s willingness to employ CRT both refreshing and encouraging. We are delighted to par- ticipate in this much-needed forum about race and racism in science education. This review essay addresses issues raised in Randy Yerrick’s paper entitled: Negotiating white science in rural Black America: a case for navigating the landscape of teacher knowledge domains E. R. C. Parsons (&) Á B. Rhodes Á C. Brown University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA e-mail: rparsons@email.unc.edu B. Rhodes e-mail: bnrhodes@email.unc.edu C. Brown e-mail: ccbrown@email.unc.edu 123 Cult Stud of Sci Educ (2011) 6:951–960 DOI 10.1007/s11422-011-9349-z