Ever wonder about when you were taught about slavery in your history class in high school or middle school? Well, what if the curriculum was flawed? The answer is yes, that history about slavery is not being taught accurately in classes. When I was in elementary school and middle school, we discussed the founding fathers such as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. We learned about how these men were inspirational and admirable leaders, but we did not talk about how they owned enslaved people. They used enslaved people for domestic service and had them work on farms so that they could sell the crops they harvested to earn income. Additionally, we learned how Abraham Lincoln was a “friend” and was an abolitionist who helped “free” Black people from slavery. However, I learned in an article in my Contemporary Racism class that there was a time when he invited five, free Black people over to the White House. During their visit, Abraham Lincoln publicly blamed them for the war and wanted to transport free Black people to another country. Therefore, even though he was an abolitionist, he opposed Black equality. It is scary how history textbooks do not cover this and that it is not in the curriculum. Furthermore, we were taught that the Emancipation Proclamation played a significant role in ending slavery, even though it was the 13th Amendment that formally ended it. The big component that is missing is teaching about how founding fathers and other White historical figures used White supremacy and slavery to build our nation. Also, there are racist systems and practices that stem from slavery, just in a different form.
It is important that students are taught about this in schools and that teachers encourage others to talk about racism. The only way we can move forward is if we create a space where White people and people of color can have conversations about racism. It is important for White people to actively listen to people of color sharing their experiences of racism and to hold themselves morally responsible. Nonetheless, we have to lay this foundation in our education system by unlearning what we were taught wrongly and to be taught the truth. As a part of the curriculum, professors in college, teachers in high schools, and middle schools need to create spaces for in-depth conversations about racism. In elementary schools, it is also important for children to have age-appropriate lessons on racism and teachers need to model antiracist behavior. According to Ibram X. Kendi, who is the founding director of an antiracist organization, describes an antiracist as someone who fights for resource equity by challenging racist policies as well as protecting spaces that are diverse in terms of race and ethnicity. This means that people need to protest against the racist treatment of people of color in prisons, form alliances to provide equal housing opportunities for marginalized communities, and combat other racist systems. Teachers need to teach students how they can effectively call out racism through antiracist behavior and create significant change to ensure that people of color can receive equal benefits as White people. At a young age, is when children can start to internalize stereotypes, which is why it is important to have conversations about racism early. But, how do we successfully integrate these opportunities of discussion? How can teachers effectively teach about racism and how to be antiracist?