this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2023
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Educators, lawmakers, activists and faith leaders have launched efforts to teach Black history after a crackdown on more inclusive lesson plans.

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[–] MuhammadJesusGaySex@lemmy.world 83 points 9 months ago (3 children)

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.

[–] CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world 27 points 9 months ago (3 children)

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.

[–] stopthatgirl7@kbin.social 27 points 9 months ago (2 children)

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.

[–] CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] thepianistfroggollum@lemmynsfw.com -4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I didn't know what it was because that's a silly name for celebrating the end of slavery.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

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?

[–] Dr_Fetus_Jackson@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

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.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I didn't learn a thing about those internment camps when I was in high school. Shameful.

[–] enki@lemm.ee 3 points 9 months ago

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.

Don't look into the building of the US railroads, then. It's brutal.

As an aside, there were actually German internment camps in the US too. I don't know where all of them were, but I know there was one in East Texas.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago (2 children)

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."

[–] MuhammadJesusGaySex@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] MuhammadJesusGaySex@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

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.”

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

I do t remember much coverage of Hawaii at all. Apparently came into existence with a naval base ready for wwii

[–] xc2215x@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Good to see this. Black history must be taught.

[–] BackOnMyBS@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

American history must be taught, and Black history is American history.

[–] dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

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".

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Oh good, I wasn't depressed enough yet today.

[–] stephfinitely@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

In the good words of Dr. Henry Jones Sr. - "Goose-stepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them!"

[–] TowardsTheFuture@lemmy.zip 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Ah yes, reading railroad staring LeVar Burton.

[–] thepianistfroggollum@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I honestly don't understand how banning books is constitutional. Like, I definitely don't want it to go before the SC any time soon, but books should be protected speech.

[–] BombOmOm@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

The books are free to purchase, own, and sell by the general public. The books are not banned.

What they are talking about is selecting what reading material is to be taught and available at schools. Such has been a thing since schools have been a thing. Schools do not have infinite time to teach nor infinite space to house books, selection criteria necessarily exists.

[–] HorseWithNoName@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

selection criteria necessarily exists.

Sure. But it shouldn't be based on racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and forcing christianity on people. Hence the issue.

[–] freeindv@monyet.cc -5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Which is why it's important to put a stop to the anti "whiteness" material that has rapidly become common in school curriculum

[–] stopthatgirl7@kbin.social 1 points 9 months ago
[–] dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

They are absolutely being banned. Universal bans and not allowing things to be published or sold at all is not the sole definition of banning things. That's not the only way to define banning. It can be small, local, regional, or unilateral. There are many different places or ways a ban can take effect. The books are being banned from schools and libraries in some cases.

If I ban something from my house, it's still a ban. If it's banned from the neighborhood, that's a ban. If it's banned from only my kid's school, that's a ban.

I don't get why some people think a national ban against the publish and sale of books is the only definition of a ban.

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