For the past couple of years I have been reading about the antebellum South, the Civil War, and the so-called Reconstruction era that followed. My reading has uncovered a number of things that I was either unaware of or knew only in a vague, general sense.
History is a great teacher, but for many states, especially Florida, it is fraught with danger - the danger that Black students will learn, in depth, not only about the slavery that shackled them for over two centuries in North America, but also about the tremendous contributions they made to the economy, culture and society of the United States.
My own theory is that much of the educational censorship people like Ron De Santis engage in is predicated on the fear of Black Pride. Learn about your history, learn that you are much more than the menial roles society has assigned you, and you become angry, empowered, and a threat to the status quo. Racist white America has much to fear.
Given that this is Black History Month, the following gives us a brief window into something I, and I am sure many others, were unaware of.
Not all shackles are physical. Knowledge is power, as is pride, and hence for the racist gatekeepers, threats to be kept under wraps when it comes to Black America.
