DeSantis And Youngkin Urge White-Washing Of American History

By A. Peter Bailey

(Trice Edney Wire) – A full page in the June 24, 2018 issue of The New York Times stated that “The truth affects us all. The truth helps us to understand. The truth can’t be ignored.”

When it comes to teaching the truth about Black history in the United States of America, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and many other White politicians, educators, filmmakers, television producers and even some Black people ardently believe that the truth of American history can be ignored, downgraded and, in some cases, denied. Their position is clearly revealed in several 2023 articles in The Washington Post. Their headlines and subheadlines are as follows:

1. DeSantis calls for end to Fla. college diversity programs
2. College Board faces criticism over revised African American studies course
3. Board member charts battle for ‘soul of UVA’: text messages show Younkin’s appointee’s disdain for school’s reckoning on slavery, campus leadership
4. More states scrutinize AP Black studies
5. On Black history, two roads diverge: As red states target school instruction, blue states embrace it
6. AP course criticized in Florida gets update: College Board denies that its changes water down African American studies
7. Fraught fight over AP’s new course: politics forced changes to the African American studies plan, critics say

Governor DeSantis labels those who want the truth told about Black history as members of a “woke” mob. He, Youngkin and all of those who share their positions don’t want real American history taught. For instance, they want George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to be taught as nearly God-like figures who strongly believed in and fought for freedom and justice for all. They don’t want students to be taught that both of them also bought, sold and enslaved over 200 African men, women and children. They don’t want students to be taught that advances made by Black people in this country didn’t come about because of gracious, freedom-loving whites. The real deal is changes came about because thousands upon thousands of courageous and determined Black people sacrificed their lives in battles with white supremacists and racists. For further information about Black and American history it is necessary to connect with organizations such as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the History Makers, the Pan African Federalists Movement (PAFM) and the Malcolm X Leadership Group/Positive Black Folks in Action.

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