Democratic governors are on the frontlines in the battle over the teachings of race and Black history, seeking to advance access to literature and curriculums on the African-American experience through the critical periods of U.S. slavery, racial segregation and institutional racism.
Republican governors like Ron DeSantis in Florida, Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Arkansas and Glenn Youngkin in Virginia have used their state executive powers to ban books on race and prevent the teaching of Advanced Placement courses on African-American studies. School boards led by conservatives have enacted such bans on the local level.
The conservative lawmakers and school board officials have argued that said books and courses on race are indoctrinating America’s youth and causing white children to “feel bad” about themselves. However, critics have argued that such bans not only deprive a new generation of knowing America’s true history but also perpetuate ideas of anti-Blackness and racial inequality.
By contrast, Democratic governors have used their executive authority to push back against the growing conservative movement that has banned thousands of books and put a stop to courses that education experts say benefit students, improve their understanding of race and diversity and enhance their critical thinking skills.
Maryland’s Wes Moore, the nation’s lone Black governor and only the sixth in U.S. history, declared 2024 his state’s “Year of Civil Rights.” At an event commemorating the state initiative, the 45-year-old rising Democratic star urged Marylanders to “get out into our communities” and “practice our history … [and] protect our history.”
While delivering the 2023 commencement address at Morehouse College, Moore chastised Republican lawmakers for leading statewide bans and questioned their motivations.
“When politicians ban books and muzzle educators, they say it’s an effort to prevent discomfort,…
Read the full article here
