THE CASE FOR THE 1619 PROJECT: INTRODUCTION
When the Truth Hurts: The 1619 Project and America’s Schools
If we ever want to come together as a nation to provide a brighter future for our children, then we must stop denying our past
When my daughter was about 11 or 12 years old, I bought her the book entitled To Be a Slave by Julius Lester. I wanted to begin teaching her about the history of slavery — a history that directly involves our ancestors. My great, great grandfather on my mother’s side was born into slavery. He managed to escape at seventeen and married my great, great grandmother, a Native American woman who worked to free many enslaved Africans. Many more of my family members were unfortunately enslaved (on both my parent’s sides), but this is the story that I am most familiar with that I have passed on to my daughter.
She was eager to learn not only about her family history but about her ancestral past, a history that she was not learning in school. As she read the book, she carried it around with her to and from school, placing it at the top of all her other books. My daughter felt proud to learn about this piece of her heritage. Although she was happy to be reading this particular book, she came home one day angry and dismayed.
