In the history of the United States, the experiences of African Americans have been boiled down to two narratives: slavery and the civil rights movement. In classes, we are often taught about the horrors of slavery but are never truly shown the richness of African and African American culture. If our generation wants to view our history holistically, we need our classes to dive deeper into the history of African Americans and have it be taught from the African American perspective.
As it stands, the absence of African American voices in our history textbooks creates a distorted image of America that does not match what truly occurred in history. By teaching history that omits the experiences of an entire group of people, students only see history from one perspective and not the many perspectives that shaped it. History is taught for us to learn from the past and make better decisions in the present. If this is the case, why do we continue to neglect the experiences of African Americans?
For many of the cultures taught in history classes, we learn about their unique traditions and way of life. For example, in Advanced Placement (AP) World History, I was taught about the significance of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism in ancient China and how these different ways of thinking were integrated into their society. However, for African American history, it seems that we are only taught about it through the lens of slavery. We need to spend more time talking about the culture that African Americans have built. For example, the Harlem Renaissance was a pivotal moment in America where African American culture flourished, but it is not focused on nearly as much as slavery related events. Without knowing the full scope of the accomplishments of an entire group of people, how can we truly understand and appreciate their contributions?
In the existing curriculum regarding slavery, there is a discrepancy between what students learn based on where they are in the nation. For example, teachers in some Southern states still teach their students that the Civil War was a battle over states’ rights and not over the issue of slavery, according to The Washington Post’s article “What do students know about slavery? It depends where they live.” By ignoring the true meaning of the Civil War, we are undermining the African American struggle for freedom during slavery and the sacrifices they have been forced to make for this country. By teaching students through the perspective of African Americans, students can more clearly see the reality of the causes and effects of slavery and realize that slavery was the true reason the Civil War was fought.
Instead of only being taught about slavery and civil rights, we need to be educated on the importance of events such as the Harlem Renaissance and how we still see the effects to this day. For the curriculum on slavery, we need to be taught about it in the right way. In a time when civil rights are of the utmost importance, thoroughly understanding the past does our generation a service. It teaches us the methods that past civil rights leaders utilized and gives our generation the tools to do the same. It allows our voices to be heard and provides us with a new lens to view society with, which then allows people to ask questions about the present times.
One way our school can play its role in teaching students about African American history is by adding the AP African American Studies class to its course catalog. By doing this, the school will have an entire class dedicated to informing students about African American history through the lens of those who truly lived it, and not the primarily white written history books. Another solution could simply be for more regular history classes to incorporate African American history into the existing curriculum. Although this may take time away from other units in the curriculum, it is important that our school shines a brighter light on a group of people who built this country.
History is something that does not change, but is simply built upon. It is time for us to do our part and acknowledge the true experiences of an entire race that helped build America, by learning about their perspective. After all, history is incomplete without the experiences of all who played a part in shaping it.