BY The Color Of Change Team
Making sure the truth is told about the history of racism in our country – whether by examining inequality under the law or celebrating Black stories in school classrooms – is an urgent fight. A decades-long fight. An everyday fight.
A conservative faction in this country – call it the Vocal Minority – will always try to suppress the truth. Case in point: Fewer than 10% of high school seniors can correctly identify slavery as the cause of the Civil War. That’s not an accident. In red states, suburban counties, and other areas of the country, the Vocal Minority has seized control of textbook content and school curricula, changing the narrative to maintain their own power.
And it’s not just history. The Vocal Minority is rewriting the narrative of what’s happening around us today; the Jan. 6 insurrection is a prime example. Even though racial justice is a majority value, white supremacy is on the rise. It’s fueling existential threats to our democracy, threatening the safety of our communities, hampering our right to health care, and damaging our public education system.
It’s on us to name white supremacy as the driving force that it is – and fight back against it.
How can you do that?
We can create momentum for Black history year-round by telling our stories in our homes, workplaces, community spaces, and cultural institutions. Whether you’re going to bat at a school board meeting or reading bedtime stories to your own kids, creating space to tell Black stories and honor Black history is a potent weapon against those who are trying to silence us.
Until justice is real,
— The Color Of Change Team