CRT contends that racism is engrained into the fabric of American society, especially in institutional power structures. The notion is that White privilege continues to be pervasive, and continues to perpetrate oppressive structures that continue to marginalize individuals of color. With regard to the current study, critical race theory was used to explain the continued existence of racial discrimination and understand that there may be ramifications to those experiences. CRT has been extended to Latina/o Critical Theory, which states that race, class, gender, language, immigrant status, and accent have contributed to the lower rates of academic achievement among Latina/o college students (Villalpando, 2004).
