Black History Month: Challenging White Comfort Zones
By Peniel Joseph
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made headlines across the nation by supporting a bill that would restrict access to materials that make individuals "feel personally responsible" in classrooms and government offices. Virginia, widely known as the Confederacy's capital, has also banned Critical Race Theory (CRT).
Governor Glenn Youngkin, Virginia's first Republican Governor in a decade, now turns his sights against the establishment of a reporting hotline for parents concerned about public-school instruction. It's hardly surprising that this debate is awash in memes, using sarcasm to emphasize the obvious: the goal is not to discourage teachers from making students uncomfortable, but to avoid discussing racism and black history altogether.
Efforts to erase uncomfortable truths from the history curriculum by republican legislators and some white parents alike can be traced back to the Mainstream Media's narrative centering white anger and outrage over CRT education in public schools. This narrative effectively silences the perspective of Black parents. A mother of three from Charlottesville, Virginia, told the Washington Post: "They say our children are too young to learn about racism. Who are 'our' children? I can't recall a day in my life where I wasn't taught, or experienced, racism."
This attempt to discourage teaching about uncomfortable aspects of Black history is the logical outcome of a manufactured controversy surrounding "critical" race theory, an academic concept used in legal studies to examine racial bias in law and policy. The new bans in Virginia and Florida, as well as in Mississippi and Tennessee, are clear examples that this is no longer about education; it's about adult politics.
Tennessee Representative Antonio Parkinson, a Democrat from Memphis and Chairman of the Black Caucus of the Assembly, told The Associated Press: "Everything that tells the truth about our history carries vulnerability. And it is revealed."
Interestingly, recent attempts to enact sweeping legislation under the support of anti-CRT rhetoric and strengthened by Republican politicians threaten not only to embolden racial slavery, Jim Crow segregation, lynchings, and educational inequities but also to deny students the opportunity to analyze and question contemporary events, such as the violence in Charlottesville in 2017 and the January 6th Capitol riots - both of which had prominent racial undertones. This censorship has impoverished our nation and alienated countless white, Black, and mixed-race activists who have fought for individual citizenship and equality for all.
The current debate about Black history education under Republican conditions would lead us down a dangerous path, allowing politicians to decide which narratives are legitimate and which are not.
The origin of Black History Month can be traced back to Negro History Week, established in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard University graduate. Woodson later founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which aimed to educate not only Black Americans but the entire African diaspora.
The myth of America's exceptionalism has been sustained by centuries of grand lies about the origins of wealth, technological innovation, military power, and moral and political ambition. By erasing the central role of Blacks - their labor and intellectual contributions - we created a national consensus about the narrative of the American exceptionalism, which has been perpetuated by missionaries, professors, business leaders, and diplomats. This consensus is precisely what the legislators are keen to preserve in their concerted efforts to suppress Black History in classrooms.
As Martin Luther King Jr. reminded the nation in his final speech, the American exceptionalism's foundation remains in the "right to protest for justice!" In celebrating Black History Month, this fact has never been more relevant than ever.
Further Reading:
Enrichment Data:
This article does not specifically mention CNN Opinion but highlights several arguments against teaching Black History in schools, particularly in the context of President Trump's executive order and the broader educational policies:
- Definition of "Patriotic" Education:
- The article from Riverhead Local argues that "patriotic" education, as defined by the Trump administration, would not include the complexities and challenges faced by Black Americans, such as the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the struggle for voting rights[1].
- Fear of Controversy:
- Some educators, particularly white educators, are hesitant to teach about the "bad" things Black people have done, fearing that these narratives could be weaponized against Black people and lead to controversy[3].
- Concerns About "Respectable" Black History:
- The article from EdWeek suggests that some educators might overcompensate by teaching only "perfect, pristine, and pure" histories, avoiding narratives that include trauma or harm, which could devalue Black people's full humanity[3].
- Uncertainty and Potential Funding Cuts:
- Linda McMahon, Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, declined to clarify whether Black history classes would be allowed under Trump’s executive order, leaving educators and students in a state of uncertainty about potential funding cuts[4].
- Critique of Uncritical Race Theory:
- The article from Truthout criticizes "uncritical race theory" for denying or minimizing systemic racism, which could lead to a sanitized version of history that obscures uncomfortable truths and undermines anti-racist education[5].
These arguments collectively suggest that there is a push to limit or alter the way Black History is taught in schools, often under the guise of promoting a more "patriotic" or "respectable" narrative.
