Growing up as a Black girl, I never questioned the education I was receiving from kindergarten through sixth grade. I enjoyed learning about history, especially when it came to learning about black history during black history month. However, looking back, this was the only time I would truly learn about Black historians and the countless contributions they have made to this country. “Our education system is neutral” was a phrase that I would always hear, but never really meant anything to me until the Black Lives Matter movement began. I started to see things from a new perspective, which made me completely change my view of how I see our country. Which is why I believe Neutral Education is a myth.
Neutrality in this sense is seen as fairness, but if we track back to the history that was being taught to us, nothing about it was fair. Years ago, Columbus Day used to be a nationwide holiday celebrated in schools to commemorate Christopher Columbus for “discovering” the United States, but the Natives already owned and lived on this land. As years went on, people came to question why we were celebrating someone who stole people’s land, instead of celebrating the people who owned the land in the first place. Later, Columbus Day was changed to Indigenous Peoples Day. They’re getting the recognition they deserve now, but how long did it take for them to finally give them a day that they deserve? This is one of many cases that show “neutral education” is not fair.
The “core knowledge” we were expected to know is another example of how “neutral education” is a myth. History is basically taught and then summarized, but there are pieces of history that are erased. Currently, there are many forces that are trying to prevent students from learning by banning books, completely shutting down museums, and deconstructing the educational system. Black history is being erased more and more every day, when truly the foundation of the United States was built on African Americans and immigrants. They hate us so much that they also imitate us? Why aren’t schools talking about this? Coming to an HBCU, I feel that the education I have received is unmatched by any education I have ever received. I learned what the Negro National Anthem was and what it stood for, black figures that contribute to our community, and what being black in America really means.
Now more than ever, we need to be educating ourselves on what’s going on in our world and how it is affecting our education. Do not let what is happening in our country discourage you from gaining the education that you deserve. They want us to be silent, fall in line, and completely go against what we already know. Remember, there was a point in time when Black people were not allowed to get an education; there are always two sides to a story, and it’s important to uncover both. We are the true voices of our future.
