On a second and deeper level, the question of what happens to Black history now refers to our contemporary situation in which applying the lessons of Black history to the present is under assault through disinformation related to the term Critical Race Theory (CRT). One prominent example of this is in Florida where the “Stop-Woke (Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees) Act” prohibits educational institutions and businesses from teaching students and employees anything that would cause anyone to “feel guilt, anguish or any form of psychological distress” due to their race, color, sex or national origin. At least 23 other states including my home state of Virginia have passed or pending legislation with a similar focus by banning their distorted understanding of CRT. While claiming to promote teaching a full version of American history, such efforts prevent teachers and students from a growing understanding of how the past impacts our lives in the present both individually and as a society. We would do well to reflect on the following words of Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history.” Although written long before the current controversy about CRT, his words ring true today:
“Cooperation implies equality of the participants in the particular task at hand. On the contrary, however, the usual way now is for the whites to work out their plans behind closed doors, have them approved by a few Negroes serving nominally on a board, and then employ a white or mixed staff to carry out their program.”
― Carter G. Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro
The video posted below comes from UCLA’s School of Law CRT Forward project. It provides both accurate information about CRT as well as how an intentional disinformation campaign about CRT resulted in the current threat to teaching the fullness of Black history including its implications for our nation today.
What happens to Black history now? We all have an important stake in the answer to that question.