We will greet our enemy with rifles and roses: Charles Mills and the perpetual impact of the Racial Contract

ABSTRACT

The following article positions the work of Charles Mills (1951–2021) as seminal to the development of critical race theory (CRT) in education. His groundbreaking contribution, The Racial Contract, has served as the foundation for understanding the myriad ways that white supremacy is central in the social contract championed by scholars of the Western European Enlightenment period. It is a ‘rifle’ in that it offers an unapologetically Black interruption to the necessity of refusal and resistance. The ‘rose’ of Dr. Mills’ work is always represented in his humor and commitment to joy in the face of violence and extreme hostility. The article names the genesis of my relationship with Dr. Mills as a newly hired professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and through his mentorship of founding members of the Critical Race Studies in Education Association (CRSEA).

KEYWORDS:

• Critical race theory
• Racial contract
• Charles Mills

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).