Erasure of Black History: Then vs Now. Has Change Occurred? By: Miso & Hailey
From “Lonely in America” by Wendy Walters to “The Weight” by Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, the concept of “erasing of history and memory” has been discussed heavily throughout this course. Erasing of memory and history is a product of white rage and white individuals grabbing hold of a black narrative. Ghansah describes this specifically in “Lonely in America”, as Walters describes her visit to Portsmouth. A whole city is rebuilt on top of the existing history and pain of slavery. When Ghansah visits James Baldwin’s childhood home, his home is not preserved. A brilliant and revolutionary black writer’s home and legacy is not preserved, let alone celebrated. Even prominent figures in history, such as James Baldwin, are not immune to this disease of “erasing of memory” that continues to perpetuate throughout society. Ghansah describes how “erasing of memory” is due to “black death”. Based on the texts we’ve discussed in class thus far, this is highly prominent. Portsmouth and Baldwin’s home are merely two examples that exemplify such a concept. Society today is still plagued by this phenomenon of “erasing of history and memory”. The American education system, children’s films, and modern society at large continue to exhibit how there is erasure of black history today.
To begin, the erasure of black history is pervasive in how history is taught in American education systems. The only times black history is focused on is during the month of February for Black History Month, within the context of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr., and former president Barack Obama.Black history is taught through the narrative of the “nation-state,” which claims that the mistakes and injustices of white individuals have been made right through the progression of society and the quality of the right to vote. in the past and have been righted due to a progressive society where black individuals can vote and are liberated. White forefathers are more glorified and attributed to the progress this nation has made. For example, Black women such as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Purvis, and Maria W. Stewart are names that are unfamiliar to many. They also were black women who were key activists during the Women’s Suffrage Movement. They are not discussed in history books. The people who are mentioned are Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott, who also happen to be white individuals. The failure of the American education system to mention individuals such as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Purvis, and Maria W. Stewart are examples of how black history is being erased as white history continues to be glorified and highlighted. As school systems continue to perpetuate this cycle of selective learning, erasing of black history will continue which according to Ghansah is akin to “black death”.
Further children’s films are also contributing to the phenomenon of erasure of black history. The Disney film “Princess and the Frog ‘’ depicts a young black lady named Tiana who lives in New Orleans, who dreams of one day owning her own restaurant. The film is set in the 1920’s at the height of segregation and Jim Crow laws. Although the film was well received by many, there has been some criticism about the lack of reality related to discrimination. The reality of Tiana achieving her dreams as a black woman during the Jim Crow era is largely unrealistic. This is not discussed enough in the film. The film lacks the “historical indicators of racism and discrimination”. The Jazz Age culture and New Orleans setting the film heavily references is void of the historical racism that the characters may encounter during this time period. Not including these critical details in the film presents detrimental effects for the audience. How children perceive black history when they watch this film can be largely skewed. Thus, this exemplifies how both the education system and outside media sources are selectivizing what information is presented to young children. Children inside the classroom are learning select history and outside the classroom, are consuming media that is not historically accurate.
This continuing notion of the erasure of black history and the omission of African American history in education, poses another important topic of the never-ending “feedback loop.” This loop that is continuously spinning around and around repeating itself is introduced in several of the texts we’ve read throughout this course and it can also be seen in Lemonade, Beyonce’s visual album. Isabel Wilkerson first introduces this idea in her essay “Where do we go from here.” This phenomenon is the idea that we can simply keep what has happened in history in the past and move on from it, that history is meant to stay history, and that the past is simply that, the past. Wilkerson’s essay explains how by neglecting to acknowledge our past we are making this never ending loop possible. This loop presents itself in various ways throughout modern-day society, the most common of which being the racial hierarchy that continues to persist.
Another essay introduced through this course that not only encompasses the erasure of history but also conveys evidence of the racial hierarchy that exists today, is James Baldwin’s essay A letter to My Nephew. He writes to his nephew in hopes that he will prepare him for the struggles and challenges that the world will throw at you, for no other reason than the color of his skin which is not white. “You were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason.” This quote from Baldwin’s letter is simple yet powerful and it explains his essay so effortlessly. What is so unique about the letter and about Baldwin’s writing, however, is that he does not blame “the countrymen,” or the white man. Similar to Wilkerson, Baldwin explains that because as a society we are unable or unwilling to accept the past for the truth that it sheds, it is this that yields the same outcomes we see today. The knowledge he reveals to his nephew is reality that is still debated upon today. This quote, “these men are your brothers, your lost younger brothers…we with love shall force our brothers to see themselves as they are, to cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it…” embraces the very notion that will end this continuous feedback loop. What Baldwin explains is that we contain the knowledge to end it but that the fear that once we do we’ll have nothing left is what keeps us from doing so. As mentioned before this is where these two ideas intersect. Through education the feedback loop will cease to exist but only if history as a whole is represented.
Additionally, here is a wonderful Ted Talk that discusses the dangers of white-washing history: https://youtu.be/bb04xj7LS34.
