Why Didn't I Know This?

June 24, 2021

“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”

-- Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe

Veteran's mic cut when he speaks of Black people's role in Memorial Day creationWhat at first seemed to be a short audio malfunction at Monday's Memorial Day ceremony in Hudson's Markillie Cemetery turned out to be anything but.

Here we have a recent example of erasing historical truth. It happened on Memorial Day, 2021, in Hudson, Ohio.

Begin at minute 47:00 and watch through about 53:00 .

Why is the history of this country so frightening to white people?

Hannah Nicole-Jones introduces the New York Times' special issue of the August 18, 2019, Sunday magazine with an essay that won her a Pulitzer Prize. But that essay and the rest of The 1619 Project also frightened and angered many people.

(6:04)

Above, she speaks briefly about the Project. At right, is her introductory essay.

America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It OneOur founding ideals of liberty and equality were false when they were written. For generations, black Americans have fought to make them true.

The pushback against this essay and the entire 1619 Project has resulted in Ms. Hannah-Jones's tenure rejection; passage of laws in a growing number of states banning the use of the material in public schools; and continued attempts to erase historical truth.

Critical race theory is a lens. Here are 11 ways looking through it might refine your understanding of historyCritical race theory is just that -- a theory -- but the term has been weaponized, with its most extreme critics alleging that merely studying the theory is racist.

If you'd like more information about Critical Race Theory:

Professor Phil Lee on "Systemic Racism and Critical Race Theory" March 31, 2016

Washington Post "What is Critical Race Theory... ' May 29, 2021 (PDF HERE)

"Who's Afraid of Critical Race Theory" AfroSapiophile June 8, 2021

Another view of history that is being disparaged and censored is Critical Race Theory (CRT). Eliott C. McLaughlin, author of the article on the left, outlines how CRT can help us better understand our history. The New Yorker article below, by columnist Jeannie Suk Gerson, reflects on the importance of teaching the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott decision and suggests that it "conveys the essence of CRT to a person encountering these ideas for the first time."

The Importance of Teaching Dred ScottBy limiting discussion of the infamous Supreme Court decision, law-school professors risk minimizing the role of racism in American history.

Why do we have two separate histories?

Can they be reconciled?

full_issue_of_the_1619_project.pdf

The New York Times 1619 Project

August 2019

These two documents may be seen as representations of the conflicting narratives.

VS.

Click on box at top right of each graphic to open complete document

The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission - Final Report.pdf

Ex-President Trump's 1776 Commission Report

January 2021

June 19th is now a national holiday.

What does that actually mean in terms of social justice and historical truth?

Opinion | What Walmart Doesn’t Get About JuneteenthEmancipation from slavery has been celebrated on different days in different places.

Opinion | Juneteenth Is a National Holiday Now. Can It Still Be Black?Juneteenth is now a national holiday. But is it for everyone?

A Juneteenth holiday is symbolic. Don’t confuse it with racial justice. - The Boston GlobeGOP senators who voted to recognize the day slavery ended do nothing when it comes to legislation for systemic change.

Click on the great photo (left) to access a Renee Graham article from the Boston Globe, June 17, 2021. Below is a PDF.

A Juneteenth holiday is symbolic. Don’t confuse it with racial justice. - The Boston Globe.pdf

Follow-up to the June 24th meeting ...

The War on History Is a War on DemocracyA scholar of totalitarianism argues that new laws restricting the discussion of race in American schools have dire precedents in Europe.

Click on the graphic at left to access directly the July 4, 2021, essay by Timothy Snyder in the Sunday New York Times Magazine . You can read a PDF below:

The War on History Is a War on Democracy - The New York Times.pdf

For other stories that haven't been told,

go to ...not only Tulsa (here)

Opinion | What I’ve Learned Teaching the Tulsa Race Massacre for Two DecadesThe project of healing history’s wounds is difficult but necessary work.

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