Jenifer’s Journal: American history Y

The paradox of education is precisely this — that as one begins to become conscious, one begins to examine the society in which [she/he] is being educated.” — James Baldwin 

It’s Black History Month, not all Black history, but the history of Black people in America. That’s what accounts for the “Y” in the headline (inspired by the 1998 film American History X, starring Edward Norton, that might, itself, deserve a second look about now).

It’s meant to pose the question: Why is it so difficult for so many Americans to acknowledge that “Black history” is necessarily an integral part of American History, our history, because, in general, we certainly don’t act like it is. I can hear the chorus now: What are you talking about?  We cover the history of the Black people in our classrooms already. That’s the problem — people like you make everything about race! 

“Slavery,” “emancipation,” “Reconstruction,” “civil rights,” “it’s all there.” Alluded to, perhaps, but we’ve managed to damn the history of Black people in America with faint facts, presenting our children with vague, anemic, incomplete and often inaccurate accounts that barely begin to explore the full extent of racism and the toxic wages that it has imposed on our nation for centuries and still does today.

Interestingly, this seemingly premeditated ignorance of historic facts about the Black experience exists in spite of the many thoroughly researched and carefully documented books on the subject that recently have become available, including “Caste,” by Isabel Wilkerson and “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story,” compiled by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Speaking of history books, American history concerning that very subject is in the making right now, even as I type this.

Within the past year, “book banning” has come back into fashion (with a slight adjustment, we might make it to “book burning”). Today, however, it has much more to do with the diversity of subject matter. In his Feb. 7 article on saturdayeveningpost.com, Troy Brownfield writes:

“Whereas in the past, depictions of sex or violence were responsible for [banning], the majority of today’s complaints are directed at LGBTQ+ content or characters (regardless of depictions of sex), religious viewpoint, political viewpoint, anti-racism stances, and anti-police rhetoric (though the frequently cited “The Hate U Give” deals with violence committed by police).”

Emily Knox is an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s School of Information Sciences, and the author of “Book Banning in 21st Century America.” She elaborated on the changing motivations behind challenges. “If you look at the American Library Association’s list, you’ll see that over the past five years, the list of most challenged books has [included] mostly what we call ‘diverse books.’”

Ms. Knox cites the definition of “diverse” used by the non-profit We Need Diverse Books, explaining that diverse titles are those “including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.”

It seems the subject of Black history, however, continues to draw the most fire. According to a Feb. 8 New York Times article, “Book Ban Efforts Spread Across the U.S.,” by Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter: “… efforts to ban books are more sweeping, as parents and organizations aim to have them removed from libraries, cutting off access for everyone. Perhaps no book has been targeted more vigorously than The 1619 Project, a best seller about slavery in America that has drawn wide support among many historians and Black leaders and which arose from the 2019 special issue of The New York Times Magazine. It has been named explicitly in proposed legislation.”

One example of such legislation is pending in Florida. In a Capital & Celeb News article updated on Jan. 20, Amy Simonsen writes: “Although the bill, named ‘Individual Freedom,’ does not mention Critical Race Theory, the term is used in the attached bill analysis that was given to senators. The legislation would prohibit individuals from … providing training or instruction that ‘espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels’ individuals to believe ‘that an individual bears responsibility for, or should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, sex or national origin.’”

This kind of widespread resistance to an historical reality is often couched in the concern that it will pose a threat to our children’s wellbeing, as the Florida law contends. The irony is that the complete opposite is the case.

Our kids are already conscious and examining their society. It’s the half-truths and lies — the hypocrisy — that threaten them. They won’t forgive us for it. Have we learned nothing from Greek tragedy, soap operas and “Big Little Lies,” etc.?

We cannot let our fears and prejudices deter us from providing them with the scrupulous honesty they need and deserve.