Susan Rice in 1986 book: Make white students learn black history

[erinpuff]

Charles C. Johnson
The Daily Caller

In a 1986 book by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, the future diplomat argued for the aggressive inclusion of a black history curriculum in American schools, claiming that its omission had “crippling effects” by “providing a child with no more than … a white interpretation of reality

Comments

[liliaeth]

you'd think that learning different perspectives, would be a good thing regardless of your race or background. Especially since most of popular culture only shows one side. (as in primarily white male and straight)

[lanwut]

but then white people might feel bad for the horrible shit they've done, and making them uncomfortable is totally uncool.

and fuck that. white people need to learn these things.

[danger0usbeans]

For future reference: in discussions about racism, sexism, homophobia, or any similar subject, if the comment you want to make starts with "to be fair..." and ends with making excuses for whatever type of discrimination is being discussed, you should probably just keep that comment to yourself.

[corbyinoz]

I couldn't agree more. I'm still learning, a lot, and I'm a well-read, well-meaning liberal woman in my fifties. It has taken me *years* to get to where I should have been as a starting point, purely because I did not get one bit of Indigenous history in Australia as I grew up. What bothers me is that I teach students coming through who are just as ignorant as I was in the 60s, and we have supposedly advanced in our understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture.

[amyura]

Are we supposed to think that wanting ALL students to learn Black History is bad? FAIL, conservatives.

[aviv_b]

Of course conservatives think this is bad. If everyone isn't being taught that white men are the bringers of civilization, the inventors of everything, the masters of the world, then other voices and perspectives might be given credence.

And everyone knows that could lead to things like lack of appreciation of 'Southern Culture,' or even the broader understanding that much of what white men gained in this country was at the expense of POC.

And they will never stand for that. Ever.

[executivehpfan]

...Oh, this is supposed to be a bad thing?

I know, right?

[jazzypom]

I did my (primary to tertiary) education in the West Indies, and at all turns, I had to learn European and American history, in addition to my own. Because according to the white paper of the country I grew up in, that the children had to be educated 'for flight' (because my country of birth is like the Irish when it comes to emigration; we have more people outside of the country who id as our nationality than on the island itself). It's given me a rounded perspective, and when you compare that with white people I've met online (and in real life) who aren't aware of anything beyond the Joan of Arc and the Great Wars, it's actually a joke. History isn't so white, and it's great that as time goes on, history in its telling has gotten more nuanced (with the input of women, people of colour, trans* issues, etc) and a hell of a lot more interesting to read.

What's bad about teaching another perspective, hey?

I remember on ONTD when someone said that children in some Southern states were taught that the South won the American Civil War

Re: I know, right?

[executivehpfan]

See, this makes sense to me. I don't get the bad thing about teaching multiple perspectives, or denying a certain ethnic group THEIR OWN MOTHERFUCKING PERSPECTIVE ALSDJFOAISDJGISODGJ.