EDUCATION
Why Did an All-White School Board Ban Black History Classes in Missouri?
They had the motive, the means, and the opportunity
Whether black history is incorporated into the class curriculum or swept under a rug depends on who calls the shots in any given city, state, country, or parish. For instance, in Missouri, the Francis Howell School Board, an all-white group, voted on Thursday in a 5–2 decision to stop offering black history and literature elective courses. And just like that, they cut off students' access to a topic they found interesting. Lauren Chance, a senior in the district, expressed her disappointment, saying, "Black history is American history," that "it's important that it's taught at our schools." Harry Harris, a parent, noted that "our students really wanted these electives. Our families really wanted them, and our teachers really wanted them." This decision came from the same school board that voted along the same lines to "rescind the district's Anti-Racism Resolution adopted in 2020." So, why did this all-white school board decide to grab the broom? Let's unpack this.
Those attempting to remove black history from classrooms around the country couldn't accomplish their objective without the means, motive, and opportunity. In this case, an all-white school board in Missouri had the means because of their position of authority and the opportunity to ban these elective classes, hence the vote. But what was their motive? In other words, why did they believe banning black history and literature courses was the right move? While we may never know since board members have no obligation to explain their efforts, racism offers a plausible explanation. Missouri offers an AP European History course, and there has been no effort whatsoever to remove that elective. What message does it send to students, parents, and teachers when the district decides to ban Black American history but not European history? — That some people are more important, and their stories should be memorialized, while others hold no value.
It's bad enough that black history has to be taught as an elective course. In an ideal educational system, black history would be respected as part of American history and incorporated into lessons regularly. Oberg and Kartchner (2016) suggested that "less than 10% of classroom time during the year" focused on black history, and even during that time, these lessons only promoted "surface-level learning." Black history has never been adequately taught in America's public schools or given the engagement it deserves. Nevertheless, Black Americans have made numerous contributions.
We wouldn't even have "birthright citizenship," in this country or the equal protection clause if it weren't for the 14th Amendment, or protection against enslavement without the 13th Amendment, or voting rights' protections if it weren't for the 15th Amendment. As I wrote in Cultured, "It's impossible to teach students about the United States Constitution without mentioning race, racism, discrimination, and slavery." Offering students who wanted to learn more seemed only fair since most public schools do not teach black history comprehensively. However, students in Missouri's Francis Howell School Board District no longer have the option to take black history or literature electives.
Banning black history does more than remove access for some students. Every time a white parental group, like Moms For Liberty, a politician, or a school board, decides to use their brooms to sweep black history under the rug, they also attempt to delegitimize the topic altogether. By making Black people's narratives taboo, they are also legitimizing the status quo that White people's narratives belong on a pedestal. The way black history is currently taught provides students with a Swiss-cheese picture of Black Americans' experiences. For instance, teaching students about "founding fathers" like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Ulysses Grant, but not their role as enslavers, is a choice, one that dehumanizes enslaved Black people and treats them as nothing more than property.
Likewise, teaching students about the Civil Rights Era during Black History Month, the shortest month of the year, without the context of the experiences Black Americans had during the Civil War, the Reconstruction, and Jim Crow Eras robs students of an opportunity to identify the pattern of racial discrimination that has plagued this country. Civil rights legislation that passed in the 1960s was necessitated by the violent Jim Crow system, which segregated and discriminated against Black Americans. And the Jim Crow system arose as a white backlash to the Reconstruction Era. But, when coursework reduces Black Americans' experiences to the few wins they've had, you ignore the pervasive problem of racism in American society. Depriving students of historical context is not accidental; it’s intentional.
So, why did an all-white school board ban black history and literature elective courses in a Missouri district? When given the means and opportunity, many White Americans expose a clear motive — to suppress black history and literature.
🌹Learn more about the author here.
