Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
This year, the theme of Black History Month, now in progress, is Black Resistance. Not just resistance in years past, but resistance today and tomorrow.
Understanding the need for resistance and how to resist effectively requires knowledge of Black history and its integral role in American history. Yet even today, right-wing extremists are continuing the centuries-old revisionism that has painted a false picture of horrific white racism while suppressing and distorting Black history — minimizing Black suffering, downplaying Black achievements and portraying Black Americans in an overly negative light.
We’ve seen this whitewashing of history most recently and prominently in the state of Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — a likely candidate for his party’s presidential nomination next year — recently defended his state’s refusal to allow Florida students to enroll in an Advanced Placement African American Studies course.
DeSantis claimed that the class “lacks educational value,” calling it “radical” and stating that Florida wants “education, not indoctrination.” The governor earlier absurdly denied the existence of systemic racism, calling the concept “a bunch of horse manure.”
The College Board, which creates Advanced Placement courses that high school students can take for college credit, has since removed some of the most contentious elements of the course and Florida officials are reviewing the revisions. (The College Board denies that Florida’s objections prompted it to revise the course.)
Unfortunately,…
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