Constantly Worried
CONSTANTLY WORRIED
CONSTANTLY WORRIED
A student was in AP US History and students were learning about US imperialism. Since debates are popular mediums in history classes to gauge student's critical skills and widening perspectives, students were asked to participate in a debate about this unit's topic. Students discussed the "pros and cons" of imperialism (specifically in the context of the Spanish-American War), a topic that can be traumatic to students and their families. There are no pros to imperialism, and the reasoning used to justify imperialism is racist, xenophobic, and ableist. There is nothing to "critically gauge" about US imperialism - it just was/is. Just was/is power-mongering. Just was/is classist. Just was/is racist. Being a critical thinker/historian is important, but debating an evidently traumatic & horrific practice is not.
This story effectively embodies the lack of representation within our current curriculums for students of color. This is evident through the fact that these students had to debate about a system that harmed so many people of color and implemented systems that oppress them to this day. The worst part of this is the fact that they had to debate the pros of this horrific system. In a curriculum with proper representation, these students will be able to become critical thinkers and historians without having to defend awful systems like this one. We must implement proper representation in our school systems at all levels to really foster an incredible learning environment.