Educators, lawmakers, activists and faith leaders have launched efforts to teach Black history after a crackdown on more inclusive lesson plans.
As a white person that grew up and still lives in the south, around bigotry of all flavors. Learning the truth about our past is sooooo important. The history of the human race is not usually a particularly pretty history.
But, just like we should want a better life for our kids than we had. We should also want our kids to grow up and become better adults than we were. The only way that will ever happen is if we are honest about the good, and the bad.
As a child of Asian immigrants, I learned about the horrors of Japanese interment camps way into my adult life.
It took me into my mid 30s to realize just how muted US History classes were.
Most folks had no idea about the Tulsa race massacre until the first episode of Watchmen on HBO, and there was a surge of people googling to see if it had actually happened after it aired. I even read an article about how some people in Tulsa didn’t even know about it until then.
Same. I didn’t know what Juneteenth was until my company started observing it a few years ago.
And bare in mind that I am a kid of the 80s. I can’t imagine the curriculum that kids have today.
Weird how we never get taught about any of the bad things white people do unless they do it to other white people, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, propagating ignorance is useful as a tool to keep change from ever occurring.
I’m a white dude that lived in the South for 42 of my 51 years. I was fortunate that my parents were flower children that didn’t fit in with the hate scene of the time, and they taught me to respect everyone.
Their biggest hurdle was the limit of their knowledge. Like me, they weren’t taught the history of atrocities that we’re perpetrated against our citizens. The advantage that I had as a parent, over what my parents had, was the good fortune to live in an age of enlightenment through information.
I did my best to make sure that I passed on that part of my parents legacy to my, now adult, children while also making sure they understood what the actual history looked like in our country. I’m hopeful they’ll levy their advantages to continue to help break the cycle.
I didn’t learn a thing about those internment camps when I was in high school. Shameful.
Grew up in Tennessee and I learned about them, but I was fortunate enough to go to one of the top public schools in the country that was pretty diverse. Fairly certain there’s very few public schools of that caliber left in the southern US.
My daughter’s school just had ‘Hawaiian Day’ as part of ‘spirit week’ where every day was wear something stupid. My daughter didn’t want to participate anyway, but I took it as an opportunity to teach her about how we committed genocide against the native Hawaiians. She asked why it wasn’t taught in school. I didn’t have a good answer besides “Republicans don’t want you to know about it.”
That’s a good approach. So many things are left out and passed over. Unfortunately it’s up to us as parents to fill in the gaps. Here’s my own personal brush with infamy.
I live and grew up in Birmingham, Al. In school we had a page or 2 about the civil rights movement. We learned about Bull Connor, and the water cannons, and the dogs. We learned about Fred Shuttlesworth and Rosa Parks. That was about it.
I was in my 30’s when I learned that my uncle was the last man to arrest Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before he was assassinated. My family didn’t talk about it. My school didn’t talk about it, and it made me realize just how much of our lesson on that subject had been glossed over.
Since my uncle lived longer than King. My uncle got to say in interviews much later that “he knew he was in the presence of greatness” and “I didn’t want to arrest him but I had to”. He may have fooled someone with that nonsense. But, I know that generation of my family used the n-word daily till they died.
A history that’s as truthful as possible is super important. It doesn’t matter who it embarrasses, or upsets, because it’s already happened. We can’t change it, but we can try not to do it again.
Unfortunately it’s up to us as parents to fill in the gaps.
That’s why my kids know the truth about religion, especially Christianity.
Heh Yeah same here. I also try to warn them about people who say things like “X is coming for your jobs, kids, way of life, everything you hold dear, but I will protect you.”
I do t remember much coverage of Hawaii at all. Apparently came into existence with a naval base ready for wwii
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American history must be taught, and Black history is American history.
Well, then why are they taking out the context of Rosa Parks sitting on the bus? Isn’t that still American history? Some people feel the need to classify Black history because history concerning black people is white washed and ignored.
Your comment comes off like someone saying “all lives matter”.
Oh good, I wasn’t depressed enough yet today.
In the good words of Dr. Henry Jones Sr. - “Goose-stepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them!”
Ah yes, reading railroad staring LeVar Burton.
