In this chapter, the authors outline critical race theory (CRT) as an analytical framework that originated in schools of law to examine and challenge the continuing significance of race and racism in U.S. society. They then describe the CRT framework within the field of education. CRT scholarship offers an explanatory structure that accounts for the role of race and racism in education and works toward identifying and challenging racism as part of a larger goal of identifying and challenging other forms of subordination. Next, with the historical backdrop of "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954), they address the debates over affirmative action in higher education evidenced in "Bakke v. Regents of the University of California" (1978) and "Grutter v. Bollinger" (2003). [This article represents Chapter 1 of "'Brown's' Influence on Education and Education Research: Critical Insights, Uneven Implementation, and Unanticipated Consequences," "Review of Research in Education," v28, 2004 (EJ748129).]