Following the violence of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., Democrats in the Michigan House of Representatives are stepping up to the plate, pushing for legislation that would require African-American history to be taught in all public schools as a means to combat racism.
βWe all have to do a better job of getting to know each other and understand each other,β said Democratic Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, the lead sponsor of the bill. βBut it starts in our schools in educating children properly so theyβre able to push back when they hear lies pushed forward about different races of people.β
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Gay-Dagnogo in March introduced the bill, which would require that students in all grades be taught about the history and contributions of African Americans in the development of the U.S. and the world, MLive reports. The horrific acts of violence in Charlottesville reinforce the need for such a requirement, the Detroit Democrat says.
In Michigan, there is a set of expectations for social studies content that does include lessons on slavery and the civil rights movement, as well as the continent of Africa and its people. But Gay-Dagnogo says that those lessons likely vary depending on the district and do not provide a βclear understanding of the contributions that African Americans have made to this country and their involvement prior to slavery, post-Reconstruction and on,β something she wants to change.
βEven after the civil rights era, thereβs nothing that highlights the positivity and the accomplishments of African Americans in science and engineering and building this country,β she said.
Rep. Jeremy Moss, a co-sponsor of the bill, noted that while a more involved education in African-American history is βnot going to drastically change race relations overnight,β it is taking βa step in the right direction.β
βDecent Americans want to think that Nazis and the KKK are from an era of history thatβs long gone, but those bigots who rallied in Charlottesville were my age,β Moss said. βSo something is happening here that we arenβt teaching the next generation about the perils of white supremacy.β
Read more at MLive.
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