As a US citizen who lived overseas from the ages of 9 through 18, I missed the US history lessons that are part of the standard middle school and high school curriculum.
So my first encounter with the topic of slavery was by reading "Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" during my first year at Stanford University, as part of a broader (and truly wonderful course) on "Culture, Ideas, and Values", that admittedly mostly focused on the Western canon.
I still have Narratives on my bookshelf ... a reminder of how little I know about the topic of slavery and its echoes in present day America. After decades of blissful ignorance, I finally felt an obligation to learn more about all aspects of my country ... including the less pleasant parts.
Over the course of this #blackhistorymonth I finally read the original The New York Times 1619 Project story by Nikole Hannah-Jones; I listened the podcast; and I watched the documentary series (Hulu).
I also tried to understand why this project and -- separate but related -- #criticalracetheory has been so controversial. For example, according to a related article in the The Heritage Foundation: "The overriding lesson is clear: young people must learn to despise their nation—its Constitution, ideals, economic system, and its Founders."
https://lnkd.in/gvsZbzqA
Really?!
Honestly, I just don't get all the controversy. The horrors of slavery in America were very real and undeniable. Discrimination against blacks/African Americans today is still very real and undeniable. The contributions of the descendants of slaves on virtually every aspect of American life are very real and undeniable.
I may not agree with 100% of what I've learned from the 1619 content. But I also think it is disingenuous to use the < 10% of the espoused opinions to try to ignore or discredit the other > 90% of documented facts.
And the fact pattern suggests this is not just about the 1619 Project.
Frederick Douglass' book and those by other black authors are now a banned in some states:
https://lnkd.in/g9jgDRRQ
A presidential candidate had a hard time talking about slavery when asked about the civil war:
https://lnkd.in/gt6bUuF7
History is surely written and re-written by the victors.
We are not going to "Make America Great Again" by papering over black history. It is not "hateful" or "divisive" or "unpatriotic" to learn and expose the less pleasant parts of the history of the USA (or for that matter, any other country). It is in fact our patriotic duty to know our country inside out, to appreciate our successes *and* to learn from our mistakes. That leads to strength, not weakness.
Pan African Entrepreneur
3moPowerful quote! If we don't invest in our children so they can industrialise our communities , we are our own enemies! We should never expect other cultures to make us wise - capitalising on our ignorance is their business!