RACISM + EDUCATION

Why Some Students Need Special Permission to Learn Black History

It's absurd, but in many states, black history is a taboo subject

Typically, when a teacher sends a student home with a permission slip, they do so in preparation for a class field trip. Maybe the school is planning a fun, educational journey to a local art museum, the zoo, or the aquarium. They may need spending money, a packed lunch, or more chaperones for the day. However, some permission slips are much less thrilling, like the one Chuck Walter, a Florida parent, received. The Miami-Dade County Public School District sent a permission slip home for students to "participate and listen to a book written by an African American." And in doing so, they illustrated a clear-cut example of racism in our educational system. No permission slip is needed when students are introduced to books written by White authors throughout the school year. But, suddenly, when work by a Black author was introduced, the school sought special permission. What's happening here?

Sadly, in the state of Florida and other states that passed legislation restricting discussions about race and racism, black history has become taboo. That's how we've reached this cultural moment where some parents must sign a permission slip if they want their students to read and engage with black literature. This permission slip shows how this wave of censorship laws explicitly discriminates against Black people. The unsaid implication of seeking permission to introduce students to literature written by a Black author is that only White authors are legitimate. That they represent a gold standard. And that if you are planning to introduce students to books written by a Black author, you are doing something unusual, potentially offensive, or harmful, so parents must be explicitly asked before each lesson.

It's Black History Month, yet teachers around the country are walking on eggshells, wondering if it's okay to discuss historical figures like Fredrick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ida. B. Wells, or Thurgood Marshall. Depending on their state and district, teachers are concerned about whether they will lose their jobs, be accused of breaking the law, or be chastised by angry White parents who don't want their children to learn about the experiences of Black Americans or their historical contributions. The season which should encourage students to learn about black history has become marred by censorship.

Perhaps there is one silver lining to sending home a permission slip — no parents can complain later that their students were exposed to black history without their knowledge. Often, White parents complain that their students are harmed by learning about black history, and this measure could safeguard against litigation. However, you would think our country would have learned by now that separate never means equal. It's not as if equal time is set aside to ensure students learn from Black authors — they are marginalized and mostly excluded from the curriculum.

Also, in this case, the permission slip referred to a 30-minute block of time. That's not long at all compared to the regularly scheduled class time. There's never a permission slip sent home to ask if parents are comfortable learning about the American Revolution, a bloody battle between mostly White men, or our nation's role in dropping atomic bombs in Japan (the Manhattan Project) — and yet, somehow, reading a book written by a Black author crosses the line. It's a disingenuous argument. If teachers have to send home a permission slip to introduce students to Black authors but not White ones, it de-incentivizes their inclusion. It decreases the likelihood that teachers will jump through all the extra hoops to ensure they're represented. These laws are operating as they were designed, excluding black history while elevating white history.

Making black history and the exploration of Black people's contemporary experiences, taboo doubles down on the racist ideas endorsed by some of the nation's founders. For instance, Thomas Jefferson, America's third president, suggested that Black people were "inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind" in Notes on the State of Virginia (1787). Just as Jefferson believed Black people were intellectually inferior, modern-day conservatives have sought to remove books written by Black authors, arguing their work is harmful or unworthy of inclusion.

Those who believe books written by Black authors are unfit for the classroom need to educate themselves about the contributions of Black people. Where would modern society be without Garrett Morgan's invention of the three-way traffic light, Marie Van Brittan Brown's video security system, or Frederick McKinley Jones, who revolutionized the cinema and refrigeration industry? Much of the safety, security, and comfort enjoyed by people in the modern era were attained thanks to the contributions of Black Americans. And no one should need special permission to teach students about their lives or accomplishments. Needing special permission to include black history casts them with a stain of unworthiness.

Black people have made numerous contributions to society, but when schools exclude their stories, they help to foster division amongst students, faculty, staff, and the broader community—portraying some as more worthy than others. If students don't need special permission to read books written by White authors, then there's no way you can justify seeking permission for students to read books written by Black authors. At least without admitting your entire school system is rooted in whiteness, that it openly others, and villainizes blackness.

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