Lincoln offers students a myriad of history courses, including Black Studies Honors, a unique class that incorporates the complexity of black culture with rich historical content. The function of the course allows students to simultaneously celebrate and memorialize the black experience. There are many ways to define the class, so for further insight I spoke with Ms. Jones, who teaches the class to better define its importance.
She shared with me that “Black studies is fundamentally about knowing yourself well enough to hear and see other people, and when you do that, it’s hard to justify taking advantage of other people.” Jones’ insight reflects a wider need for the prioritization of non-dominant perspectives that are intentionally sanitized to maintain a nationalist agenda through the curriculum.
Unfortunately, even as necessary as this course is, our federal administration has taken steps forward to eradicate the class altogether. What is the drive to censor Black history?
Well, Black Studies Honors ultimately confronts American history through black perspectives and experience. In the context of a country that prides itself on self-made success and nationalism, the content of Black history disrupts these ideologies. When students learn about Black history, they begin to comprehend that the foundation of America is built on the oppression of others. This is an inescapable truth that American classrooms deserve to discuss.
In response to these teachings, the federal administration has taken extreme measures to control the curriculum, such as warning all 50 states of federal funding cuts for all public schools if diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continues to be implemented in curriculums.
So, how do we advocate for these classes in the face of adversity? Organizations like the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Teacher’s Association (AFT) have taken legal action regarding legislative regulations against Black history courses in the south, which is the primary target for anti-DEI initiatives.
In 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the since overturned Individual Freedom Act, which limits the teachings of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools. CRT is a term coined by Kimberle Crenshaw, which is a conceptual framework that validates the existence of racial bias and its inherent place in America.
The law was implemented under the pretense that the content of the framework is indoctrination and eliciting guilt in white students. Despite what they want you to believe, this censorship is not about protecting white youth, instead it is about protecting nationalist ideologies and the image of American patriotism. A federal judge also acknowledged this hypocrisy, revoking the law in the summer of 2024 due to its violation of first amendment rights.
The content of Black studies is not about inflicting shame; it’s about acknowledging the past and its ties to the future. Black history does not deserve to be intentionally obscured and hidden. I do believe though, as this country continues to censor this content; that the history of Black people in America will always rise to the surface, solely because Black history is omnipresent; the voices of the youth will continue to grow and evolve.
To make this future a reality, I urge students to not become susceptible to dominant narratives. We need to listen to the experiences of underrepresented voices; Black Studies Honors allows students the ability to do so.
In agreement with Ms. Jones, I urge students to take Black Studies Honors, not only because of its invaluable historical content, but because it also allows us to celebrate and memorialize the Black experience. We must not let our learning be suppressed by dominant perspectives but instead must question and truly engage with the history that we learn.
Black history is rich with grief and excellence and deserves to be shared with the world in every classroom. Black resilience has evolved and impacted the world; to take the course is to be a part of a movement for change.