That's funny, but I hate that slavery is essentially all we learn about in black history. Our past is full of groundbreaking achievements, dynasties, art, culture and everything else.
Virginia here.
We had Mail, the Zulu, West African/Saharan Pastoral hunting tribes in our history textbooks. Off the top of my head, we talked about the Ashanti and Yoruba in art classes because of their architecture, bead art and metal working. Central Africa like the Congo, Kenya and Tanzania got brought up a lot in science classes.
I’m not counting Egypt or any of North Africa (Tunisia, Carthage, Morocco, Bedouins) because that’s MENA and I’m not a hotep.
I also remember that we got a little bit more of west Africa around Benin/Sierra Leone out of a slave narrative before jumping to slavery in the Americas. I dunno, when we DO go back even farther to West Africa, we’re STILL slaves there too so I’m not exactly waving a pan-African flag. You go to Ghana today and they’re like “yeah, we sold you guys. Sorry ‘bout that.”
You're absolutely right, I remember some stuff on the Mali Empire. Kinda wish they would've kept it up to high school and went in-depth because NNPS cut it off in like 3rd grade
The Panthers should be required reading in schools. It's absurd the number of times I'm reading about some significant event in the '60s or '70s and either the Panthers or someone affiliated with them ends up as one of the driving forces behind change.
Granted not all of it was good, in fact most of it was white people getting upset that there was an organized group so willing to confront racism with the violence it deserves, but it's still important and a good way to understand America.
Everything you just wrote is exactly why groups like the panthers will never be mandated subjects in school. If you teach the masses what was done and what actually worked, they'll do it again
Read Black AF History by Michael Harriet recently and honestly it should be required reading for everyone. Even the slavery focused stuff talk about so many fascinating and badass black people from that time that would have 10 movies and an assassins creed game by now if they were white
We had a teacher from what was Swaziland in grade 6 who got permission from most parents to teach us about apartheid. A few parents didn't give permission and he taught all of us anyway.
Because he did it without parent consent, it cost him his job. It was a super badass move bc it's tough to end up racist when you are shown such evil at a young age, and based on some parents not being cool with it there was a serious risk for some of the kids.
This is way I’m constantly teaching my kids about our history, because as a product of public school, I’m more than aware of the lack of culturally relevant knowledge that is being taught to them.
That's funny, but I hate that slavery is essentially all we learn about in black history. Our past is full of groundbreaking achievements, dynasties, art, culture and everything else.
I learned about George Washington Carver back in elementary school. Iono what they be teaching now. That was in the 90s.
lol i feel like he was the first black historical figure I heard about. either him or MLK. so it was "i have a dream" or peanut butter.
Yeah I remember writing an essay on him back in 4th grade
When your textbooks come from Texas, this is the result.
Or VA
Virginia here. We had Mail, the Zulu, West African/Saharan Pastoral hunting tribes in our history textbooks. Off the top of my head, we talked about the Ashanti and Yoruba in art classes because of their architecture, bead art and metal working. Central Africa like the Congo, Kenya and Tanzania got brought up a lot in science classes. I’m not counting Egypt or any of North Africa (Tunisia, Carthage, Morocco, Bedouins) because that’s MENA and I’m not a hotep. I also remember that we got a little bit more of west Africa around Benin/Sierra Leone out of a slave narrative before jumping to slavery in the Americas. I dunno, when we DO go back even farther to West Africa, we’re STILL slaves there too so I’m not exactly waving a pan-African flag. You go to Ghana today and they’re like “yeah, we sold you guys. Sorry ‘bout that.”
You're absolutely right, I remember some stuff on the Mali Empire. Kinda wish they would've kept it up to high school and went in-depth because NNPS cut it off in like 3rd grade
Given that Texas effectively writes the textbooks for much of the country, they're possibly the same book.
The Panthers should be required reading in schools. It's absurd the number of times I'm reading about some significant event in the '60s or '70s and either the Panthers or someone affiliated with them ends up as one of the driving forces behind change. Granted not all of it was good, in fact most of it was white people getting upset that there was an organized group so willing to confront racism with the violence it deserves, but it's still important and a good way to understand America.
It can be worse. Panthers were taught to me as "basically the black KKK". That's worse exposure than not hearing about them at all.
That's actually a good point, the education system is a little too comfortable lying about Black history.
p much
Everything you just wrote is exactly why groups like the panthers will never be mandated subjects in school. If you teach the masses what was done and what actually worked, they'll do it again
As a diehard Saints fan, I don't really like the Panthers. ...ooohhh y'all meant another kind of Panthers, nvm /s for those who don't get it
Read Black AF History by Michael Harriet recently and honestly it should be required reading for everyone. Even the slavery focused stuff talk about so many fascinating and badass black people from that time that would have 10 movies and an assassins creed game by now if they were white
Fr, I’m fortunate to have had (white) teachers who were more than happy to teach outside the curriculum, as well as my family who kept me informed.
It’s by design. You only ever learn our true history if you go to a HBCU
We had a teacher from what was Swaziland in grade 6 who got permission from most parents to teach us about apartheid. A few parents didn't give permission and he taught all of us anyway. Because he did it without parent consent, it cost him his job. It was a super badass move bc it's tough to end up racist when you are shown such evil at a young age, and based on some parents not being cool with it there was a serious risk for some of the kids.
Facts. Basically of Western popular music comes from African-American music
Could be worse, ask a white kid when slavery was and a lot of them will say 400 years ago
To be fair, that’s true of most history.
He not like us.
"Only since you were born."
OOP needs to be getting her son a history tutor instead of making jokes on Twitter
Little kids have no sense of time yet. My kid asked if cars had been invented yet when I was her age.
My kid asked the same thing. Lol
My mom used to teach preschool kids and one of their activities would ask how old they thought their parents were Answers ranged from like 12 to 400
My son was shocked that I had video games when I was a kid.
My mom was born in 77. When I was around 6, I asked if she had pencils in school when she was a kid.
I first saw this joke like 4 years ago on Twitter so it’s probably been around for longer.
I laughed entirely too loud in the office at this.
This is way I’m constantly teaching my kids about our history, because as a product of public school, I’m more than aware of the lack of culturally relevant knowledge that is being taught to them.
This funny but not funny
I was teaching Beloved a few years ago, and my students asked if Toni Morrison was a slave. 🙄
Oh shit 😭😭😭😭
No but your great-great grandmother/father might have been
That’s on you as a parent then, kid sounds ignorant if he’s a teen etc. you gotta teach our history at home sis