Curriculum Censorship and the Restriction of Freedoms.

"Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.”- Chinua Achebe. Taken at face value, censorship is not a best practice. This is especially so in democratic societies. In order for democracy to thrive a number of diverse views and opinions must be facilitated. . Once a society embarks on the path of censorship this should be viewed as a red flag indicating that something sinister is lurking in the wings. The United States of America has prided herself as the bastion of democracy. However, recently we have witnessed some disturbing trends at the state level where a number of US States particularly those with a Republican majority have taken on the powers to dictate to the citizens what literature is appropriate or inappropriate for the public education system. Let us be fair and balance, curriculum development has never been a neutral process. The process is rather subjective pertaining to what is included as opposed to what is omitted in a curriculum. This subjective method is rooted in both patriarchy and misogyny. The main purpose of this Republican led move is an attempt to rewrite history or to remove from history the viewpoints of minority groups such as African Americans. Recent debates across the country have pushed for book banning and the adoption of politically motivated laws and policies on school curricula. Such measures seek to prevent teachers from providing a thorough curriculum on American history, civics, and government in U.S. public schools and deny students their rights to a complete education. Over the past few years, history education has been contested and weaponized in the political sphere in new ways and with greater intensity. It is arguable that the weaponization and politicalization of the public education system in the USA began during the presidency of Donald Trump. Unfortunately, it has continued in an attempt to prohibit diversity and inclusion of diverse values. Preparing students for all types of civic engagement by teaching complete history is crucial; yet beginning as early as the 2016 Trump's administration campaign, efforts to weaken the United States prevails. Department of Education through proposed cuts of $7.1 billion. In Texas, for example, at least 713 books have been banned from public schools, and school districts’ and school boards’ attempts to censor books have triggered a systematic review of hundreds of books in every school district in the entire state. Classroom censorship laws represent a backlash against historians, journalists, educators, and activists who have worked to bring a fuller version of American history to our public discourse and classrooms. New scholarship has examined the often-omitted experiences of minority groups; classroom censorship laws use vague language by banning “certain ideas” related to a race, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, and nationality. Curriculum Censorship. Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that certain persons, individuals, groups, or government officials find objectionable or dangerous. Education scholars Woods, Luke, and Weir (2010) describe curriculum as “the sum total of resources” brought together by a variety of stakeholders for teaching and learning purposes. Education scholars have long recognized that choices about what knowledge is selected for inclusion in a curriculum have and always will be political. Michael Apple (1995) describes the non-neutral nature of the curriculum choices: “The curriculum is never simply a neutral assemblage of knowledge, somehow appearing in the texts and classrooms of a nation. It is always part of a selective tradition, someone’s selection, some group’s vision of legitimate knowledge. It is produced out of the cultural, political, and economic conflicts, tensions, and compromises that organize and disorganize a people.” Throughout US history, schools across every region of the country have banned both fiction and non-fiction books that school leaders, parents, or politicians perceived as threatening to their values. One of the most successful campaigns to restrict the teaching of history occurred in the South following the Civil War. Between 1870 and 1910, more public schools were built across the South, and as access to public education became more widespread, white activists sought to censor the history students learned. The organization United Daughters of the Confederacy—whose members identified as descendants of Southern Civil War soldiers—were integral in efforts across the South to ban textbooks that contained accurate and critical portrayals of slavery or that criticized Southern Civil War leaders. The president of the United Daughters in 1903 gave a speech in which she described reading a northern textbook as a girl and “hot blood came to my cheeks” in embarrassment for what she saw as a biased portrayal of the South. Another significant moment in the history of curriculum censorship in the US occurred following World War II. In the late 1940s and 1950s, a coalition of activists around the country grew concerned that young people might be exposed to communist ideas or foreign influences in schools. These activists sought to prevent educators from introducing students to different forms of government and to focus instead on teaching American history. While this movement was not as successful as the one to change history education in the South after the Civil War, activists were able to influence the selection of textbooks in some school districts and manage to oust school leaders including the nationally-known progressive educator Willard Goslin, who was superintendent of Pasadena schools in California from 1948 until he was forced to resign in 1950. Critical Race Theory. Critical race theory (CRT) is a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism. It examines how the legacy of slavery and segregation in the US is embedded in modern-day legal systems and policies, and is the idea that racism is not a matter of individual bigotry but is systemic in America. Critical Race Theory examines how the legacy of slavery and segregation in the US is embedded in modern-day legal systems and policies. Critical Race Theory as a framework has become a flash point as Republican officials across the country seek to prevent it from being taught in schools. The CRT holds that racial inequality is woven into legal systems and negatively affects people of color in their schools, doctors’ offices, the criminal justice system and countless other parts of life. Critics of this intellectual framework often contend that it is divisive and even racist to examine the role of race in U.S. systems and structures. Most recently, between January 2021 and January 2023, 18 states enacted legislation that restricts the teaching of “critical race theory. First Amendment. It is time that the black community galvanize themselves and legally challenges this orders. Gone are the days of emperors where their edicts could not be challenged. The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government. Additionally, it appears that the current practice of banning specific books run counter to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 that speaks to inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all. Flexibility of Curriculum. The curriculum should never be static. A curriculum should be responsive to the needs of students. The curriculum was never meant to enslave us. Instead, we should be the masters of the curriculum. As a result educators ought to have the authority to make adjustments to the curriculum to fit the target groups of the institution. In the Caribbean and the Americas we should be extremely attentive of the situation currently happening in the United States of America as this can have possible implications for our democratic principles and economies. It is for this reason why the teaching of history education should be compulsory in all secondary schools. It is rather unfortunate that many of us are unaware of our rich and proud history. Without a doubt the Republicans are trying as much as possible to whitewash historical facts by banning books that addressed mainly the experiences of those with black skins. Educators are urged to become more strident in their fight for what is correct and just and in so doing set the tone for the next generation. In the words of Alfred Whitney Griswold, books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #curriculumcensorship #inclusiveeducation