RACISM + EDUCATION
How Bomb Threats and Censorship Are Cut From the Same Racist Cloth
Both attempt to limit access and participation of Black scholarship. Let's unpack this
On the first day of Black History Month, more than a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities received bomb threats. These threats reveal a toxic political climate that has turned Black intellectualism into public enemy number one. But, really, let’s think about it for a minute. White parents and conservatives introduced more than fifty-four bills as educational gag orders, restricting "K-12 schools, higher education, and various state agencies" from discussing race or sex. It's not a coincidence that the attacks on Black literature preceded coordinated bomb threats. The narrative that Black people have no right to discuss their lived experiences and make progress is the consistent thread here.
Banning books is not a new concept, but the carpet doesn't match the drapes in America, where the government should protect free speech. Education should empower students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, not ingrain them with a set of facts to memorize. Book bans are a form of censorship, and they "deprive students of opportunities to ask questions, learn, and grow." How can we expect young people…
