Stop whitewashing history, learn from it

“Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen-hundred ninety-two.”   

Like countless other Americans, I learned to recite this phrase when I was in first grade. We memorized the names of the three ships he sailed on and scribbled vibrant colors on sheets of paper depicting Columbus as a holy figure, a messiah responsible for the discovery of a “New World.” 

It wasn’t until the end of eighth grade when I realized the blue water and clear skies I drew were lies. Instead, I should have scribbled the water red and painted the skies black to symbolize the wretched atrocities committed by Columbus and his horde. In many ways, Columbus set the stage for the transatlantic slave trade and the birth of racism in this country. Sadly, these themes are not taught in our current education system. 

Omission is defined as “the action of excluding or leaving out someone or something.” The harsh reality of being black in America is knowing no matter how valiant your efforts are, you will be vilified and written out of the history books for being too black or not conforming to the stereotypes of being black in America. 

A prime example of the destruction of black bodies can be found in the ruins of Black Wall Street, a prominent African-American settlement established during the Reconstruction. Located in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Black Wall Street was a symbol of black innovation and affluence.

Established by freed slaves and Native Americans who settled in the area after  the Trail of Tears, Greenwood was a beacon of black independence and progression.

People owned cars, raised families, and businesses flourished. Nearly 200 black businesses occupied the small Tulsa suburb, a feat that was unheard of during the time of segregation.

What was not unheard of however, was the response from white Oklahomans to black excellence during the spring of 1921.

They set fire to businesses, pillaged houses and killed innocent citizens. Planes took to the sky and rained down turpentine bombs. In a matter of hours, Greenwood went from a symbol of determination in the face of hard times, to an unrecognizable war zone.

The rising confidence experienced by the Black citizens of Greenwood angered many white people in the area, who referred to the town as “n- – – – – town.” Tensions escalated and on May 31 thousands of armed whites bombarded the peaceful city of Greenwood and destroyed everything in sight.

A poet named Phetote Mshairi compared Greenwood to the fictional African country of Wakanda.

“Don’t you realize that Greenwood was Wakanda before Wakanda?” Mshairi said.

Two years earlier, at least 25 race riots had occurred across the country in what became known as the Red Summer of 1919.

I was never taught about Greenwood or the Red Summer in my K-12 education. The only aspects of my history that I learned in school were the days when my people were in shackles and fighting for our freedom. I wasn’t taught about Mansa Musa, the West African king who throughout his lifetime amassed a net worth of $400 billion in today’s dollars. I didn’t learn about the Black Panthers or their Ph.D certified leader Huey Newton. Black history was reduced to only Martin Luther King Jr. and slavery.

Though Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero and an icon of the Civil Rights Era, he was not the only person fighting for us to be free.

Our educational system places such an emphasis on MLK because he preached non- violence. Malcolm X, Huey Newton, and Stokely Carmichael will never have their day in a publicly funded classroom. The image of a black man instituting his Second Amendment right to bear arms is too much for White America to stomach. Educators re-establish the notion of black inferiority by selectively choosing to show only the negative aspects of history. They will continue to indoctrinate us with scenes of black bodies bloodied, beaten and shackled to ensure that our children don’t get any bright ideas.

The historical omission of black figures and black achievements is an unfortunate byproduct of a society that thrives on a mindset of white supremacy. Ignorance breeds contempt and it seems as though our country is content with being ignorant.

The proof of our laziness and apathy towards progression can be found in the Oval Office.

SWC Professor of African-American Studies Stanley James said, “I have never met a racist who had a complete understanding of the history of the people they hate.”

In order for our country to fully progress, we must have some complex conversations regarding race and white supremacy. African-Americans have been in subjugation longer than we have been free.

And throughout this time we have constantly been fighting for the freedoms supposedly granted to us by the 13th Amendment.

To be frank, my people have yet to attain freedom in this country. We still fight to not be seen as second-class citizens. We were freed from slavery in 1865, but our struggle for equality is far from over. It is evident that our people are treated as subhuman. The very people sworn to “protect and serve” are executing us.

Plantations have been swapped out for prisons and the shackles were taken off of our bodies and placed on our minds. Everyday we do not teach the youth proper Black history, is another day spent in mental slavery.