Amidst widespread attempts to censor and erase Black history from school curricula through legislation and book bans, this Black History Month underscores a crucial fight: ensuring that the full, honest narrative of African Americans remains an undeniable part of American identity, vigorously defended by communities and educators against systemic repression.
In recent years, the landscape of American education has become a battleground for the narrative of the nation itself. At the heart of this struggle is the fervent push to either erase, dilute, or restrict the teaching of African American history—or, more accurately, honest American history—from school curricula across the country. This isn’t merely an academic debate; it’s a profound challenge to how future generations will understand the past, present, and their role in shaping a more equitable future.
Since 2021, an alarming trend has taken hold, with 44 states introducing bills or implementing measures aimed at restricting the teaching of so-called Critical Race Theory (CRT), banning books, and censoring discussions around race in classrooms. This systematic repression is not confined to legislative halls; it manifests in visible public acts like the removal of the Black Lives Matter Plaza and significant funding cuts for public broadcasting, as noted by NPR. These actions reflect a broader, regressive educational movement that seeks to whitewash history, leaving students with an incomplete and distorted understanding of America’s complex past.
The Unprecedented Push for Erasure
The pushback against teaching comprehensive Black history is often framed around concerns of causing “discomfort” among students. However, as some scholars point out, this concern appears strange given that African Americans have endured the discomfort of systemic racism for centuries. The irony is stark: while many celebrate Black History Month, the very history it aims to honor is under unprecedented threat.
This struggle is exemplified by Florida’s 2023 announcement that students would be taught how Black people enslaved in the U.S. “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” a curriculum shift that ignited widespread condemnation, including from Taylor Cassidy, a Black history educator on TikTok. Such rhetoric attempts to credit slavery for Black survival rather than acknowledging the immense tenacity and resilience displayed through treacherous circumstances, as reported by FLDOE.org.
Banning Books and Silencing Voices
A core tactic in the effort to erase Black history is the widespread banning of books by Black authors. These books are often targeted for discussing topics deemed “divisive” or “sensitive,” yet they are crucial for understanding the realities of race in America. The campaign, “Can’t Be Erased” (#cantbeerased), highlights the profound importance of these banned works in countering repressive educational trends. Notable examples of books that have faced bans or challenges include:
- The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story: Banned in several states, this project reframes American history by placing slavery and its enduring legacy at the center of the national narrative.
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: Inspired by the #BlackLivesMatter movement, this book explores police brutality and has been banned for allegedly promoting an anti-police message.
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: The first book by a Black author to win the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1953, it narrates a Black man’s struggle to be seen as human in a racially divided society.
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: This powerful examination of beauty, conformity, race, class, and gender focuses on a young Black girl’s experience of being called “ugly” due to her dark skin and kinky hair.
- All American Boys: A novel confronting racism and police brutality, it was banned for its “divisive topics” and “sensitive matter.”
- Monday’s Not Coming by Claudia Coleman: Inspired by the numerous disappearances of young Black girls in the U.S., this book highlights often-overlooked societal issues.
These books are not merely stories; they are windows into the experiences, struggles, and triumphs that are integral to understanding American society.
Critical Race Theory: A Framework for Understanding Systemic Injustice
Much of the current debate is framed around Critical Race Theory (CRT). As legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, one of its creators, explains, CRT “is based on the premise that race is socially constructed, yet it is real through social constructions.” This framework examines how race is realized through the societal systems we build, revealing the deep-seated mechanisms of inequality. It’s not about teaching guilt, but understanding the roots of disparity.
A prime example of systemic racism illuminated by CRT is redlining. Started in the 1930s, government officials drew lines around neighborhoods based on racial composition, deeming those areas “poor financial risks.” This practice created a cascade of negative consequences, denying Black Americans and other people of color mortgages, insurance, and other opportunities. Although banned by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, its effects are still profoundly felt today. Lamont O. Repollet, the first Black Commissioner of Education for New Jersey and current president of Kean University, emphasizes that every system functions exactly as it was constructed, and acknowledging this is crucial for shaping a narrative free from bias, as detailed in an opinion piece in NJ.com.
A Hidden History: Uncomfortable Truths About America’s Founding
Legislators and governors who seek to erase Black history often overlook or actively suppress uncomfortable truths woven into the very fabric of America’s founding documents. For instance, while the Declaration of Independence proudly proclaims “all men are created equal,” it openly omitted women and enslaved people and included a grievance against the British monarchy for inciting “merciless Indian savages.”
The U.S. Constitution further cemented racial inequality. Article I, Section 2, counted enslaved individuals as “three-fifths” of a human being for representation purposes, while Article IV, Section 2, contained a fugitive slave clause mandating their return. Even the post-Civil War amendments, heralded as milestones, proved insufficient:
- The 13th Amendment abolished slavery but included a loophole for “punishment for crime,” leading to widespread forced labor through chain gangs and often fabricated charges for Black Americans.
- The 14th Amendment’s promise of “equal protection of the laws” was subverted by the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, establishing the discriminatory “separate but equal” doctrine.
- The 15th Amendment, granting voting rights regardless of race, was systematically undermined by racially biased “tests” and other tactics designed to deny Black Americans the right to vote.
Closer to home, Indiana’s 1851 constitution explicitly stated that no African Americans “shall come into or settle in the state.” This helped establish its reputation as a “northernmost southern state,” a status further solidified by the rise of the Ku Klux Klan leader D.C. Stephenson in the 1920s, who wielded significant political power until his downfall due to a second-degree murder conviction, as detailed in a South Bend Tribune viewpoint. These historical facts underscore that racism is not merely individual prejudice but an entrenched system inherent in American law, government, and culture.
Black History Beyond Government Acknowledgment
Despite ongoing attempts at governmental erasure, Black history has always thrived outside official channels. Long before formal recognition, stories of African ancestry, resilience, and resistance were passed down through generations via field hymns, songs, and oral traditions. These practices evolved, adapting into crucial elements of Black culture today, ensuring that history was kept alive even when its existence was dangerous.
Beyond the classroom, pivotal figures consistently made history without requiring governmental permission. Individuals like Elizabeth Freeman won her freedom in a Massachusetts court case before the Civil War, while Benjamin Banneker, a Black scientist, played a key role in measuring the boundaries for the nation’s capital. Mary Jane Richards famously served as a spy for the Union during the Civil War, demonstrating extraordinary intellect and radical acts in the face of immense oppression.
The 1960s ushered in a new era of Black pride and liberation, notably with the creation of the Black Panther Party by Huey P. Newton. Education on “true history” and the role of Black people in society was central to their ten-point program. The Black Panthers understood the profound impact of history on self-worth, especially after studies like The Mamie Clark Doll Study demonstrated how segregation instilled feelings of inferiority in Black children, as explained by Kenneth Clark Commons. Even as the FBI demonized and attacked their initiatives, the Black Panthers’ passion for self-empowerment through history only grew stronger, proving that Black history is not dependent on governmental approval but on community resilience.
Preserving the Legacy: Institutional and Community Efforts
The fight against erasure also involves monumental efforts to safeguard physical archives. A significant example is the preservation of the Johnson Publishing Company archives, which housed over 4 million prints and negatives from iconic publications like Ebony and Jet magazines. When the company faced bankruptcy in 2019, four institutions—the Ford Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Trust, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation—stepped in, purchasing the entire archive for $30 million. This just-in-time acquisition saved decades of invaluable Black stories from being lost forever, ensuring their accessibility through institutions like the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Getty Research Institute.
Ultimately, Black history cannot be erased because it is inextricably linked to American history itself, enriched by the resilience and indelible impact of Black communities. It lives in families, in cultural practices, and in the collective memory, continually challenging and enriching the national narrative.
