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EDUCATION + BLACK HISTORY
Black History is American History. So, Why Is it Hidden From View
What students lose when they’re deprived of the big picture
Trying to understand American history while omitting Black people’s narratives is like trying to put a puzzle together without all the pieces. You will be left with a partial, distorted image. And yet, legislators have passed laws banning “divisive topics” from the classroom in at least twenty-one states. Of course, the irony isn’t lost on the black community that the history of White people in America is never considered divisive. Such a characterization is conveniently applied to justify removing Black narratives from the classroom more often than not. It’s clear whose comfort is prioritized by such efforts. While many people say “Black history is American history,” it’s also true that so much is hidden from view.
While attending public school in New Orleans, the only book we were ever assigned to read by a Black author was “Things Fall Apart,” a 1958 novel by the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Long before there were formal laws banning discussions about black history, America’s schools did a poor job of incorporating diverse narratives in the curriculum. It’s no wonder two-thirds of Americans “look back and say they were not taught enough…
