Black history 'Underground Railroad' forms across US after DeSantis, others ban books
Black history 'Underground Railroad' forms across US after DeSantis, others ban books
www.usatoday.com
Black history 'Underground Railroad' forms across US after DeSantis, others ban books
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.
I didn't learn a thing about those internment camps when I was in high school. Shameful.
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.
I do t remember much coverage of Hawaii at all. Apparently came into existence with a naval base ready for wwii