Litsy

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story | Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Company

“What these bills make clear is that the fights over the 1619 Project, like most fights over history, at their essence are about power.“(xxvii)

NC Senator Thom Tillis is one of the co-sponsors, and made this statement: “Tax dollars should not go towards promoting radical ideologies meant to divide us instead of being used to promote principles that unite us.“

Wrong. The way to address divisions is to understand the history of those divisions.

alisiakae #1619GroupRead #1619 2y

alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Bookish_Gal @Butterfinger @Catsandbooks @chaoticmissadventures @chelsea.poole @Chrissyreadit @IndoorDame @JenReadsAlot @katy4peas @kdgordon88 @kspenmoll @MallenNC @mdm139 @megabooks @Megnews @ncsufoxes @PurpleyPumpkin @ravenlee @Readergrrl @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @rjsthumbelina @sabyym @Singout @skygoddess1 @staci.reads @TheKidUpstairs @TimInCalifornia 2y

megnews Absolutely wrong. If these white men in power would just sit down and listen to someone other than themselves, different from themselves for a change. Have they ever even listened to a Black person? It‘s infuriating. The good thing about young people (& some of us adults) is the more you tell us we don‘t need to or can‘t know something, the more we want to know it. The stronger they fight against it, the closer we get to the Truth, which is 👇🏻 2y

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megnews 👆🏻what they fear. 2y

TheKidUpstairs It is definitely about the power. People who want desperately to hold on to their power by holding others down. They feel that by acknowledging the whole truth, their power is threatened. It's the same people fighting against CRT and banning books from libraries. Wanting to teach "the benefits of slavery" and not allowing trains that say Nazis were bad. They see how plantation owners and Nazis had their power taken away and they see the same ? 2y

TheKidUpstairs ... happening to them 2y

alisiakae @megnews 🙌🏽🙌🏽 Although it‘s a bit more nuanced in NC, since the main person leading the charge in these efforts (he‘s also trying to get a lot of LGBTQ+ inclusive books out of schools) is our Lt Gov, who is black. It‘s difficult to watch our state GOP wave the diversity card because they have one Republican POC in elected office. (edited) 2y

Liz_M Yes it's about power, but maybe also about identity. People who identify themselves as Patriots and believe they live in the greatest country of the world. They idolize the myth of America and won't believe that it is a myth, that America is flawed. Questioning the perfection of America questions their perception of themselves as good people. 2y

TheBookHippie @Liz_M 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Exactly. 2y

Bookish_Gal That quote is what stuck with me. I remember when both projects were gaining ground. It felt like the 1776 thing was built to go against the 1619. To show that America is great, so stop showing the bad. It‘s about who decides on the nations narrative. I believe in any world you have to teach all history. America has a problem with discussing the “bad”. How can you do better if you don‘t acknowledge the bad? 2y

alisiakae @Liz_M You worded this so perfectly. I completely agree! 2y

Chrissyreadit @Liz_M yes- hidden brain had an excellent podcast episode discussing this and potential solutions- the struggle is so much more complex than this as well because of the types of personalities who need “rules” and “laws” are ironically some of the same people screaming for “freedom”- and refusing to acknowledge they are limiting freedom for anyone not white or male. 2y

Chrissyreadit One of the struggles with this is that we will not have people who‘s minds need to be changed choosing to read this. 2y

megnews @Chrissyreadit you hit the nail on the head. as I‘m reading this book and others like it, I think this thought about every other page. 2y

alisiakae @Chrissyreadit I debated buying a copy and sending it to my parents. My dad has tried a couple times to debate “CRT“ in schools. I will never change his mind, so after the first time or two of sharing my perspective, I just get off the phone. If I thought they would actually read it, I would absolutely buy them a copy. But they probably wouldn't. 2y

Chrissyreadit @4thhouseontheleft I cannot site this- it‘s in the back of my brain- but it involves how people adopt the actions and beliefs of their oppressors as a survival mechanism. It‘s also in conflict with the construct of people having agency to form their own lives (I follow a construct that we are significantly shaped by our families and communities and need to be accepted in my practice) because I still struggle with the mechanisms that cause people 2y

Chrissyreadit To work against their own interests. 2y

Chrissyreadit @4thhouseontheleft unfortunately I suspect it ties into identity quite a bit. I have had conversations where the individual directly contradicts what they said but in their brain it makes sense, so they can hold on to a strongly valued perspective. Unfortunately we are exposed today to a lot of media and news outlets that also validate that perspective- I‘m furious by ads played on MSNBC that are absolutely false- and reinforce thinking to the 2y

Chrissyreadit Harm of the true situation. 2y

Chrissyreadit @megnews this is why the fight in schools is so dangerous. Keeping people ignorant solidifies the people who fall in step as they get older. 2y

Chrissyreadit The other good news I keep in my mind is that in one generation many people who hold this identity will die, the kids are using social media and seem to be leaning very differently. I think a lot of this is the death grasp of the white moneyed male social order. But we have to continue to fight for education and against gerrymandering for laws to change. 2y

megnews @Chrissyreadit yes, I understand what your saying about why people go against their best interests. And I also this is the rally before the death rattle. 2y

megnews Another thought, did the people on the 1776 commission even read what they were opposing? I‘m Not convinced they did. 2y

alisiakae @megnews considering most of them were conservative politicians or activists, I‘m sure they did not. 2y

megnews @4thhouseontheleft how does one oppose something they haven‘t even read and expect to be taken seriously 2y

Chrissyreadit @megnews @4thhouseontheleft some of this is due to indoctrination- as a homeschool family and going into homes for birth to three I saw a lot of teaching to only trust what parents and. Hutch tell you from parents raised that way. Here in WV a high school teacher proudly had a confederate flag hanging in his classroom - and was allowed because he flew it as a historical artifact. They do not believe in reading what others share. But to be fair- 2y

Chrissyreadit I‘m not about to waste my time reading debunking the 1619 project…so I cannot hold them accountable. Something funny- we sold a copy of the federalist papers to someone who was adamant states rights because he believed that the federalist papers would support that - so maybe he gained something. 2y

megnews @Chrissyreadit to be fair, I‘m not going to either but I suspect it‘s more of the same indoctrination I‘ve heard my whole life so I‘ve probably heard it all before. 2y

Chrissyreadit @megnews yes- you may have more talking points than ido. I was considering being asked to read some books on litsy with “opposing” views and I‘m not willing to, so it‘s hard to own that I expect other people to consider my views without reading their sources. Does that make sense? 2y

Chrissyreadit @megnews although it could be fun to read one and annotate it with the real info backed by science and various proofs. 2y

CaitlinR There‘s and interesting NYT Magazine piece (11/14/221) written by Jake Silverstein on the 1619 Project: “A Nation of Argument” Very worth reading. 2y

alisiakae @Chrissyreadit I do plan on reading the 1776 Report and annotating it. I never read it when it was first released, because I just wanted it to quietly disappear. 2y

TEArificbooks I agree it is about power, but also Identity and @Liz_M says. If you look through world history and the history of education the schools are run by a government or the church. The schools and teachers were told “teach this” which is always whatever is useful for the ruler at the time. And usually there was a large patriotic element- our country good, our rulers good, neighbors bad, when adults you should fight neighbor country in army. 2y

TEArificbooks Unfortunately that has spilled over into our own school system. Anything that makes America look bad isn‘t taught. Anything critical of the belief system, that maybe the belief system may have flaws or at one time wasn‘t being upheld, anything that says the country isn‘t the best in the world, anything that says the parents or grandparents weren‘t perfect, anything that says government did nothing to stop it or even encouraged it, will meet 👎 2y

TEArificbooks Resistance. The older generations have been indoctrinated and anything that makes their generations look bad will be fought against. Now teachers and students want to teach the “warts” and learn about them. And the next generation wants to actively fix it, but there will be resistance especially from a elected officials that see it as an attack on them personally. 2y

Butterfinger Tillis is bull. Politicians think to ignore is the solution to divisiveness. We have a long history that need to be dissected and analyzed to get new new perspectives and to gain empathy. This is my argument to my family - Germany did not sweep its ugliness under the rug. It learned from its mistakes and was one of the few European nations that allowed Syrian refugees to enter. I have read articles from Angela Markel(sp?) and I just appreciate her 2y

Butterfinger https://www.record-eagle.com/news/debate-over-critical-race-theory-bleeding-into...

It isn't just my school or state. White supremacists are all over the place and they are using CRT as an excuse (this is dividing us, not uniting) instead of seeing it as diversity. Children of diversity need to be represented in literature and history and I will do my utmost to do that. 2y

Butterfinger This is how I plan to respect my children and their heritage. 2y

megnews @Butterfinger I agree with the difference in ours and Germany‘s response to injustice and genocide. 2y

Chrissyreadit @4thhouseontheleft maybe I would read it when you do- that would be more palatable 2y

Chrissyreadit @Butterfinger I completely agree with your perspective- and how Germany managed to recognize learn and grow. 2y

Catsandbooks Definitely power and identity like others said. People want to believe that we're the greatest nation in the world so they turn their backs to our ugly truths. I'm reminded of a part in "The Body is not an apology" where she says we need to make peace with not understanding and peace with difference. "When we liberate ourselves from the expectation that we must have all things figured out, we enter a sanctuary of empathy" 2y

Catsandbooks We don't have to understand everything, but acknowledge it. Being able to question and explore things without judgment. I think people feel a lack of power if they don't understand something, so instead they hide behind what they do understand and believe. 2y

Catsandbooks Also in TBINAA she says "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." People want to feel a sense of belonging and when others are different it interrupts that feeling. We stuff people into categories that we understand rather than accepting those differences. 2y

TEArificbooks @catsandbooks those are good quotes 2y

alisiakae @Catsandbooks that is very similar to something Stacey Abrams said when I saw her speak a few months ago. Also, not taking the time to find the similarities we have hidden beneath those differences. 2y

ravenlee @megnews - I‘d guess quite a few of the 1776 project members have never done the assigned reading in any context, so expecting them to start now is a bit optimistic. 😆 2y

ravenlee The reaction to the 1619 Project, the pearl-clutching and such, is all about power. There are people who believe that their freedoms only have value if they‘re not available to everybody (see the argument about gay marriage “cheapening” straight marriage). They think it‘s a pie, and if everybody is going to get a slice then mine has to be smaller than it always has been. 2y

Chelsea.Poole Excellent points from everyone! I‘m just catching up to the discussion. I have lived my entire life in a very conservative community with next to no diversity and a poor education system. My friend and I were just discussing how limited our knowledge was prior to higher education and reading antiracism titles. Others in my area are now totally closed off to any racism education as this is a “bad thing” according to the politicians they follow. 2y

Singout I wonder how much of the resistance was to the fact that it was in the NYT, which is seen (I think) as part of the established conservative (?) mainstream that connects with people across the country, rather than being a single book or website. 2y

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alisiakae

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story | Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Company

First discussion question references a quote on page xxvi.

Credit: Most of the discussion questions I'm using are taken from a guide written by AMANDA E. VICKERY, Associate Professor of Social Studies and Anti-Racist Education at the University of North Texas.

Available at the Pulitzer Center: https://pulitzercenter.org/lesson-plan-grouping/1619-project-curriculum

#1619GroupRead #1619

Amiable I‘m not able to join in your reading group right now but I‘m going to be following your discussions with great interest. 2y

alisiakae I agree that much of the work of a historian is interpreting facts, and this work has mostly been done in the past in America by one demographic, white men. I really loved this quote, “While history is what happened, it is also, just as important, how we think about what happened and what we unearth and choose to remember about what happened.“ 2y

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alisiakae @Amiable Feel free to join in later if you can! 2y

IndoorDame @4thhouseontheleft That quote really stuck with me too! I also appreciate that Hicks describes our interpretation of history as “constantly evolving“ because it runs completely counter to the type of history I was taught, and is a reminder we really need to make progress in our learning. 2y

megnews As a child, I assumed adults and teachers would teach the truth. As an adult I realized what you state here, that white men wrote our history. The victor tells the story. It‘s about facts. But I‘ve read recently the facts we choose to forget and why we do so is just as important as the facts we choose to remember. Early on in parenting I realized if I wanted my kids to learn true history, I would need to supplement their education with a lot 👇🏻 (edited) 2y

megnews 👆🏻reading at home. It wasn‘t until I read People‘s History of the US that I recognized how much primary sources are left out of the learning of history which is crazy when you think about the fact we have it all right there at our fingertips. We love to quote the Declaration and Constitution. Why not other historical documents? I regularly argue the causes of the civil war and leave people speechless when I refer them to the Confederacy‘s 👇🏻 2y

megnews 👆🏻secession documents. It really goes to show how little primary sources are used, or which ones are selected to be used. 2y

megnews Two quotes on history from this section that I loved: “white Americans desire to be free of a past they do not want to remember, while Black Americans remain bound to a past they can never forget.” And “If we are a truly great nation, the truth cannot destroy us.” 2y

Chrissyreadit @megnews I agree about those quotes. They give pause to consider every argument made through an expanded lens. 2y

Chrissyreadit I feel like we are watching this in real time as we see how even having video and lived experience has not stopped govt officials from attempting to change the narrative of Jan 6. And my certainty and horror if it had been a reverse- with people of color protesting - AND we only have to look at more video to see the truth of how words and images manipulate people in different hands. 2y

Chrissyreadit Also it‘s insane how quickly a book was published “debunking” the 1619 Project- and is shelved next to it at our local books a million. 2y

alisiakae @megnews you bring up so many excellent points. The selection of which primary sources we refer to most (and which ones are left out) as a society is very telling. 2y

alisiakae @Chrissyreadit I just saw a high school classmate of mine share on FB how he is convinced the Jan 6 riots were a set up by the gov, and people didn‘t break in to the Capitol, they were let in on purpose. 🙄 2y

MallenNC My thoughts on this are similar to @megnews that the history that‘s taught is what the “victors” have deemed appropriate. And everything else is ignored, forgotten, or actively hidden. So much of what I was taught in the 1980s was basically a fairy tale rather than reality. 2y

Chrissyreadit @MallenNC YES! Fairy Tale is a good construct to compare because there is a “moral” inherent in what is taught - for better or for worse- because ultimately even the moral is not meant to be applied to everyone. 2y

Liz_M @4thhouseontheleft @megnews I also underlined all of the quotes you mentioned. History is a tricky business because there needs to be a balance between trust and skepticism. No one person can fact-check all the facts, so the process of how history has been arrived at needs to be understood and accepted. But there also needs to be critical thinking, the ability to evaluate how history is persevered and to challenge it where needed. 2y

Megabooks Looking back at middle school, my teacher taught us about the middle passage and we watched all of Roots (this was 1992ish). It didn‘t strike me as surprising as it does now that I got at least SOME education about slavery from the Black perspective, especially in my Southern town which was 91% white at the time. This was not near enough education on it, and I wish it had continued outside of that one teacher‘s class. (edited) 2y

Megabooks @megnews you make so many excellent points. I think a lot about white tears and white fears about challenging the dominant perspective. 2y

JenReadsAlot Growing up in a small town in the Midwest I recieved very little education on any of this. I also agree with @Chrissyreadit what January 6th would have been like if it was not white men rioting. I'm really looking forward to this book and discussions. 2y

Bookish_Gal I had to think back about my homeschooling history lessons. (I trusted what I was told) The point of history is ever changing is struck hardest. That the facts are still there, but how they are perceived is ever altering. Which is what I got from my younger years. I‘m learning so much more now then before. It‘s the same history, but it means something so different (edited) 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @megnews I loved & highlighted both of those quotes too. 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Chrissyreadit Yes! It‘s amazing how quickly we try to rewrite what we all saw on tape, less than a year ago. Both it was a normal visiting day, it was antifa, she was a veteran, we need to just move on ….but if it had been anybody else storming the capital that way they‘d be livid. 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa It also made me think of the history of lynching which I am reading about elsewhere. How quickly those stories were rewriting to honor the murderers and blame the victims. Or the “hero” of the Confederacy as “rebel patriots”. The history of this is so long in our country and so embedded in everything we‘ve ever learned. 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa My adult reading has taught me so much I was mistaught as a child from Pilgrims, to Washington‘s “wooden” false teeth. The facts are so twisted to basically indoctrinate little kids and sadly I think that‘s why so many people balk when they hear the truth…it‘s just so far from everything they‘ve ever learned that it sounds like fantasy to them, but sadly the history we learned in elementary school was the fantasy and the indoctrination worked well 2y

TEArificbooks As a former social studies teacher, and a current homeschooling mom, I can attest that students are not getting an accurate education in social studies. The teachers are told what to teach and even how to teach it and told only teach from this textbook. The history that is embarrassing, our mistakes as a society, are always left out or “justified.” 2y

alisiakae @Riveted_Reader_Melissa And that‘s the thing. Too many adults refuse to take the time to unlearn the historical inaccuracies they were taught, and the reasons why they were taught in that way. 2y

TEArificbooks Even geography is not taught accurately. The world maps used are distorted to make Africa and South America look smaller and insignificant. They put North America on the left so it comes first on the map and be more significant. In The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak she says “A map is a two dimensional representation with arbitrary symbols and incised lines that decide who is our enemy and who is to be our friend, 👎 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @mdm139 I like that quote too! 2y

TEArificbooks Who deserves our love and who deserves our hatred and who, our sheer indifference. Cartography is another name for stories told by winners. For stories told by this who have lost, there isn‘t one.” 2y

alisiakae @mdm139 I‘m grateful that my daughter is at a magnet middle school that works hard to teach a full history. But we had to search for that. She also has had more black, male teachers in her 3 years of middle school than I had in my entire education combined. The teacher demographics reflects the student diversity, which is so important for the students. (edited) 2y

megnews @mdm139 excellent quote 2y

IndoorDame @mdm139 great quote! It‘s all too easy to take maps and statistics for facts when they‘re actually interpretations of the facts that we should be looking for the bias‘s in as we use them. 2y

kspenmoll Interpretations are vital as our social, political, racial, etc. history is always in flux. I took a class in college called something like Intellectual & Social history of US which did give varying historians perspectives. I remember reading Douglas but black, female or indigenous historians? I have my doubts. I did then take a fantastic class just in Women‘s history but it was not just US. (edited) 2y

ravenlee My thoughts echo 👆🏼; history is written by the victors, and so on. I also hear Dr. Indiana Jones - “archaeology is the search for fact, not truth.” Truth is for philosophers. I know I‘ve been trying to educate myself better so I can educate my daughter better. As we study history in our homeschool, I inject what‘s age-appropriate to balance some of what our books present. But age-appropriate doesn‘t have to mean white-washed. 2y

ravenlee Another parallel I‘ve drawn between history/patriotism and love of one‘s parents - part of growing up is accepting that one‘s parents/heroes are real people with flaws, and learning how to love them in spite of that. There‘s no reason we can‘t study our country‘s history, warts and all, and learn both the good and the bad and figure out how to move forward. 2y

ravenlee I found this book very informative, and it‘s making me think hard about what materials I‘ll be using to teach history as the kiddo gets older. Right now we‘re on our first time (of three) through world history, modern era, so I need to find good sources for the next stage.

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

megnews I loved that book @ravenlee. Also his

Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong

ravenlee @megnews I have that one, too. It‘s on my list for this year. 2y

Butterfinger @ravenlee @megnews @kspenmoll @IndoorDame @mdm139 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Chrissyreadit @Bookish_Gal @JenReadsAlot @Megabooks @MallenNC I enjoyed reading the comments and agree on the lack of representation in education. Wow!! I never thought of cartography as a way to portray power, but it makes sense. After reading and discussing 400 Souls, I did make a point of introducing the White Lion into my fifth grade class and had primary documents, but then was told not to teach the new curriculum (which embraced research and interpretation) 2y

Butterfinger Because of the NC government trying to foster the Critical Race theory. Knowing that if this took off, Black History would be downgraded once again to just February. I'm so mad, but I still have resources to share for my babies who need their history and this book just helps to encourage me. As a child, I researched on my own and learned much history and I still do that today and wish that others would before they spout off what they hear others say whether parents or church. 2y

Butterfinger The quote that I noted was, "... nearly 13 million people across the Atlantic and transformed - or arguably, enabled - the existence of the United States." It was not just the white men who made this country. I agree with Hasan Keame Jeffries. "We are committing educational malpractice." We need to do better. 2y

Chrissyreadit @Butterfinger so you are not allowed to teach history? 2y

Butterfinger @Chrissyreadit the newly adopted curriculum (Feb 2021) was inquiry based, much like our science curriculum. You give the students a compelling question with primary documents to build a claim and support with evidence. I was so excited and over the summer (when I wasn't sick) I looked for documents that all my students would need to have a whole representation. (indigenous people, students of color) and my first unit was on Jamestown. Then, I was told to go back to the old curriculum that was not inquiry based, but one piece of text to read or one video to watch. 2y

Chrissyreadit Ugh!!! That‘s awful! I used an amazing inquiry based curriculum for my highschool history co op- I was so proud of the way the kids engaged and learned with it. 2y

alisiakae @Butterfinger what NC school district are you in? This is when I‘m grateful for my daughter‘s magnet program and its ability to be more flexible with its curriculum. 2y

Butterfinger @4thhouseontheleft McDowell County. 2y

Catsandbooks I'm so late on the discussion, but I'm in agreement with what has been said. Most of what I remember from my history classes is the American revolution over and over again with a sprinkling of other things. Only as of the past few years am I relearning history by searching out my own material. I think so many people pick and choose what info they want all to fit their narrative. There's no critical thinking happening. 2y

Catsandbooks As for geography, the first time I learned that our maps were biased was actually watching The West Wing. Growing up I just accepted thinking what my teachers taught me was fact. Not realizing that all of this was filterd and made to be portrayed in a certain way. I think there's some people who stop learning once they're done with school, thinking they've learned all they need to know. One thing I love about the reading community is that 2y

Catsandbooks We're continually growing and learning. Seeking out new resources. Thinking critically. Doing reads and discussions like this. 2y

alisiakae @mdm139 I first learned about that when I studied abroad! I feel like geography skills amongst most Americans is abysmal to begin with, let alone trying to tell people that what they do know is inaccurate. 🙄 2y

katy4peas @Catsandbooks me too, we never moved beyond the revolution. Every year the teachers would outline the curriculum to my parents with what we would cover and my mom would ask when we would cover women‘s voting and they would say later this year… nope never. We never ever made it that far. I learned a lot on my own (like Columbus being a jerk and a liar) from my encyclopedia sets for my research papers. 2y

katy4peas School was completely useless for all of that. And I was in middle school in the early 2000s (2002-5) 2y

katy4peas I recently read Stamped and that was an eye opener of things I never learned in school. 😡 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Catsandbooks I love that description of the reading community 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @katy4peas Yes…you always start at the beginning, but ran out of time before they ever got to things like the Civil Rights Movement 2y

TEArificbooks The reason that I love social studies and wanted to be a teacher is there is always something new to learn. Even people with PhD‘s are still learning new things about their specific subject matters. However, because history is so vast school‘s have such a hard time fitting it all in. Teachers, textbooks, etc have to summarize it and focus on the major events only. The problem is they only tell the story from the white point of view and only 👎 2y

TEArificbooks The “good” stuff. Only the events the government believes we should be proud of. And they always run out of time each year. I never got into 1900‘s when I was a kid. I have learn more about history as an adult doing my own learning with non-fiction history books than I did as student. 2y

TEArificbooks Additionally the “teach to the test” mentality is strong. The standardized test at the end of the school determine school funding. History and geography aren‘t even given a standardized test in most states, and those that do only do it every four years. They make the teachers spend more time on English and math since those are standardized test every year. And if a teacher dares to go “off book” and teach something not directly on the test 👎 2y

TEArificbooks The teacher is punished. I know teachers that got fired for teaching critical race theory because their students inquired about it before it was called critical race theory. 2y

staci.reads @Catsandbooks "Cartographers for Social Equality" ? I love Big Block of Cheese Day ? 2y

Catsandbooks @staci.reads 😂 yes!! Such a great show!! And still so relevant! 2y

ncsufoxes Late to the discussion but I have been reading and agree with what has been discussed so far. When I read books like this it makes me reflect back to what I learned when I was young to when I was in college. I have a degree in history (which I have never used & focused more on art history). I feel that there was so much that was not taught even as a history major. I now look critically at what my kids are learning in school. I think it is also so 2y

ncsufoxes Different based on the state (even county) you live in. We live in San Diego but in Poway school district which is pretty conservative but my son‘s high school (because of his awesome principal) is pretty progressive. He is taking ethnic studies for his senior year English (his school is the pilot program). But last year I don‘t even think his history class discussed the civil war. Luckily we have open discussions in our house about history and 2y

ncsufoxes Literature. But I think about all those families that aren‘t & just take what they are being taught as the whole truth. Ok, I think I‘ve rambled on enough & not sure if I answered any real question. 2y

ChaoticMissAdventures @Megabooks I remember watching Roots in school too. Looking back at it and how graphic it was it was surprising given todays rush to ban everything we were allowed, I also remember watching it at home when it was on TV and my parents talking to me about it. I was shocked when I read only 8% of high schoolers think the civil war was about slavery. I was taught in a white town of 10k people in rural Oregon that it was all about slavery. 2y

ChaoticMissAdventures @Chrissyreadit this is an excellent point, we are watching in real time as media, politicians, insurrectionists, and everyday people fight over the narrative of that day. It seems like I hear a new detail or theory every week. So what happened 200 years ago really cannot be just one flat myth like story. 2y

ChaoticMissAdventures @Bookish_Gal I think most of us trusted what we were told. It is rare for a teacher or school (home, private, or public) that allows for students to question what is in the lesson plan. Even in college I found a lot of resistance from professors on this. 2y

ChaoticMissAdventures @mdm139 and this seems to be getting harder and harder, as more books are challenged and banned. I read about the Indiana GOP member proposing a parental review of curriculum - any and all parent can opt their child out of any lesson they don't like and make the (overworked already) teacher come up with a new lesson plan for that child! Those poor kids are going to be even less informed, and with that attitude less open to challenging topics. 2y

ChaoticMissAdventures @Butterfinger Hasan Kwame Jeffries is so fantastic. his' TED talk is so important and a great resource for this discussion, thanks for the reminder to watch that again.
I am so sorry that teaching has become so difficult. It is incredibly frustrating that society is not embracing knowledge and teachers the way they should.
2y

ChaoticMissAdventures @ncsufoxes so much of it is left up to the parents. Not even the ones who don't want to teach it but all the ones who just do not have the ability. It is sad for the students. But if what NHJ says that only 8% of high school students are taught the civil was fought over slavery, how can those who do not go onto delve more deeply into history themselves teach their own children? Such a hurdle we as a society face.
2y

ChaoticMissAdventures I am late to the discussion, but one thing that really stood out to me was when NHJ spoke about how she had to change the text to “some“ white people. Over and over again on social media I see white people wanting clarification that “some“ white people did the bad thing, but when it comes to something they see as good like the revolution it can be stated that “White people rose up against Britain“ and that is fine? This attitude is frustrating 1/2 2y

ChaoticMissAdventures 2/2 the “some“ also discounts that not only did most hold Black people as slaves, but most also sat by and let it happen. complacency with the atrocities, can be seen as just as bad as doing those atrocities, if those people demanding “some“ edits want to get technical about it all. Mostly I just think similar to the “not all men“ people, the “some“ people need to reflect on why they feel the need to demand this clarification. 2y

BeckyWithTheGoodBooks I wrote down a lot of the quotes already discussed, but another one that stood out is “…..silence and neglect of science can let truth utterly disappear or even be unconsciously distorted.” (WEB DuBois). Are we not seeing this play out across so many issues facing us today? COVID, climate change, the realities of institutional racism. All are prey to the willful ignorance of so many. 2y

BeckyWithTheGoodBooks When we think about history, we have to acknowledge that history is often not an index of facts, but one of *certain* facts. I think we are all grappling with the lies of omission we are discovering in our own education and the ones that continue to persist. I‘ve also been thinking about how power plays into the history we are taught. What would it actually mean to acknowledge these hard truths? (edited) 2y

BeckyWithTheGoodBooks Those in power (white cis hetero men) will not allow their power structures to be dismantled without delegitimizing those that challenge it. “Patriotism” is often weaponized in this way. Speaking ill about America (even if it is the truth) makes one unpatriotic and thus, unworthy of attention. In reality, this “patriotism” whitewashes our history and in reality, threatens our democracy. (edited) 2y

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Smrloomis

My Reading Challenge: Fun Notebook Tracker for Children (8.5"x11" UK English A4) | Chulabula Designs

I still can‘t decide! I wrote this but still haven‘t picked one to do. What are you all doing for 2022? https://bookriot.com/2022-reading-challenges/ Feel free to drop me a comment here if you‘re doing a challenge in 2022 😊

Singout I‘m only doing Litsy ones: #Nonfiction2022 and #Booked2022, which I both did last year, and #ReadingAfrica2022. I also have done some of the group reads in @Riveted_Reader_Melissa‘s #SheSaid list, and joined the #1619 group. (edited) 2y

Smrloomis @Singout ooh thanks for posting those! They all look good 😍 2y

jessjess Read Harder 21 introduced me to "There May Be Some Collateral Damage" by Metizket which is now my absolute favourite crossover fic. It's a bleach/hp mix that asks what would happen if Ichigo had to go to Hogwarts and what an absolute disaster that would be. 2y

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jessjess So thisbyear I'm doing RH again as well as the popsugar challenge. 2y

jessjess I haven't found one on #litsy itself I'm really drawn to so I'll keep an eye out but for now just those two. 2y

Smrloomis @jessjess I‘ve never been organized enough to do Read Harder but am thinking about it for this year. Feel like I have to decide soon 😂 I like that there‘s a RH newsletter this year! 2y

jessjess @Smrloomis yes I like having a newsletter this year too! Sometimes it's a struggle to break out of a certain genre or subject so a challenge is good. 2y

Smrloomis @jessjess Yes! Except of course I‘m already behind on reading the newsletters 😂 Oh well. It‘s just for fun in my case so it‘s ok! 2y

Amiable I‘m doing #Nonfiction2022, #ChunksterChallenge2022 and #AuthorAMonth as well as #NYWD22. 2y

Singout I forgot to say #NYWD22! Sorry, @Amiable (who is a great partner)! I only did Booked and Nonfiction, with some of SheSaid, so adding Africa and NYWD is a lot (but fortunately it's all flexible and there's lots of overlap). I've even, um, created a chart.
2y

Amiable @Singout I wasn‘t sure if I should list it as a challenge because it isn‘t challenging at all —it‘s a joy! 🙂 2y

Smrloomis @Amiable @Singout awesome! Definitely yes to a chart 😅😅😅 2y

BarbaraBB Thanks for writing and sharing this. I am doing a couple of challenges, among which #ReadingAfrica2022. Your crosslink to Taleaway is fantastic! 2y

Smrloomis @BarbaraBB Thank *you* for reading it! Always glad to help others grow their TBRs even more 😂🥳 2y

WJCintron I'm doing the Popsugar challenge, but I'll be checking now the link you attached to this post! LOL to see if I can fit some of the books I couldn't fit on the PS Challenge!! Thanks for sharing!! 😃 2y

Smrloomis @WJCintron Awesome. Glad to be of help 😉 2y

WJCintron @Smrloomis 😃 🙏 2y

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I want to complete Booked2022, PopSugar, and the 52 Book Club. I've got Read Harder and a few others that I hope to finish/participate in. 2y

Smrloomis @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick That‘s great!! I‘m thinking about getting 52 in but I‘m already behind 🤦🏻‍♀️😅 2y

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I found out about the 52 books 2021 challenge in late May/early June and so many I had already read fit prompts so I applied them and finished the challenge. 🤣 2y

Smrloomis @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 😂 Oooh I love it! I‘ve tried writing out a list for 2022 but found what I picked not quite the inspiration I was hoping for 🤷🏻‍♀️ I think I‘ll try again and see if a different version is more appealing… (edited) 2y

WJCintron @Smrloomis 😁 👍 Go for it!!! 2y

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Kristy_K

1619: Jamestown and the Forging of American Democracy | James Horn

pick

Focusing largely on the Virginia Company and the years surrounding 1619, this book looks at social and economic issues strongly intertwined with religion (namely Christianity). Many subjects are examined, including the colonists interaction with natives, slavery, their relationship with the Bristish crown, and more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#netgalley #arc #history #1619

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