Black History Education In the Era of Trump

The last presidential inauguration day was the same day as my program Inspire 365: A Journey through the Black Experience. That day I was dealing with the emotional weight of watching Donald Trump be sworn in as president. The day was challenging for me after watching months of Trump spew hate and venom against people of color, people with disabilities, and women. The country had decided to position this hateful energy in the most powerful position in the world. What could I do? Where was my power? On that day I felt as though I had none. That evening I went to the Fayetteville Public Library and to my surprise I had the largest crowd in the history of my program. The evening's lecture topic? The Civil Rights Movement. I realized after the evening's program power was in my ability to teach African American History. Power came from an understanding that America had been in this position of powerlessness before and our nation thrived despite the darkness. African American History is a powerful tool. The accounts of Black men and women are filled with unimaginable suffering and still Black Americans and people of African descent around the world push for change. However, those who do not know their history lack power and agency to battle the storms that come in life. History can offer light in the middle of darkness and hope in the midst of great despair. Although history is available to all, it takes courage to see the truth and not stand in opposition to light banishing darkness. We have power in knowing our History and in teaching our History as Americans. Myth has positioned itself as a constant in American History. The dismissal of narratives of marginalized groups is constant when considering history, power, and American identity. As a historian, I am often faced with the challenge of people who see the light of truth for the first time. Truth hurts their eyes and positions them in an uncomfortable place of knowing there is something other than the darkness in which they exist. History can present truth and light, but only the strong can be the carriers of such light. Under the presidency of Trump, we must deal with the myths as a nation we have been taught and the darkness we have existed in for so long. Unless we do this work and commit ourselves to also instilling the lesson of inclusion into our children, and their children we will perish in the darkness.