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Illinois State Representative LaShawn Ford has asserted that Illinois schools should stop teaching history because it lacks diversity. Mr. Ford claims that the current history curriculum lacks diversity in that it does not accurately reflect the contributions of people of color and the LGBTQ community. If your first reaction was that you didn’t know they still taught history in school at all, welcome to the club. It would be funny if he was making a joke; he is not. He is flat serious.
Apparently, some “thought leaders” gathered together in Evanston, outside of Chicago, to come up with this galactically stupid idea. Here is how NBC Chicago reported this miniature cranium convention:
Leaders in education, politics and other areas gathered in suburban Evanston Sunday to ask that the Illinois State Board of Education change the history curriculum at schools statewide, and temporarily halt instruction until an alternative is decided upon.
At a news conference, State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford said current history teachings lead to a racist society and overlook the contributions of women and minorities.
Before the event Sunday, Rep. Ford’s office distributed a news release “Rep. Ford Today in Evanston to Call for the Abolishment of History Classes in Illinois Schools,” in which Ford asked the ISBOE and school districts to immediately remove history curriculum and books that “unfairly communicate” history “until a suitable alternative is developed.”
In the archive of stupid ideas since the beginning of time, this will have to rank in the top 500. Aren’t there more pressing problems in Chicago? Like children being murdered. LaShawn Ford was, in a previous life, a school teacher. Insert irony emoji here. He is the father of an eight year old daughter. Ford was born and raised in Cabrini Green, where a nine year old boy was killed this past weekend, while playing near his own home. Our Kim wrote about the racism of low expectations last year. It’s still relevant and you can read it here.
Chicago Morning Answer radio host Dan Proft asked Representative Ford the pertinent question in an interview this morning, “Have you lost your mind?”
Blather, blather, blah, blah, blah. Knee jerk reaction. Critical thinking. The history that is taught is not accurate or inclusive? The only thing that we learn about blacks is that they were slaves? Um, I went to school back in the dark ages in a lower middle class suburb. We learned about Frederick Douglas, George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Rosa Parks. In college, I learned about one of my favorite people, Madame C.J. Walker. What the heck are they teaching in Illinois? Don’t answer that. I know. They are teaching racism, victimization and grievances. Mr. Ford also mentions the year 1619, which means he has been reading that ahistoric New York Times “1619 Project”. By the way, the United States did not invent slavery and was not in existence in 1619, for what it’s worth.
Mr. Ford and his Evanston buddies think the answer is to stop teaching history. When journalist Sara Carter tweeted this news this morning, a college history professor had a great response to Mr. Ford:
I am a history professor and I have to say that Rep. LaShawn Ford needs a stiff drink and a stiff kick in the…WE need history and more of it to understand what is happening in this country.
— mosowa (@mosowa) August 3, 2020
Blogfather and Law Professor Glenn Harland Reynolds has been writing about the education apocalypse for a decade or more. I commend any of his books on the subject, but for our purposes here “The K-12 Implosion” is what you need.
The answer is not, as Mr. Ford wishes, to teach no history until some committee comes to some agreement over what is the right history. The answer is for parents to take control of their children’s education and teach more history. Shame on,LaShawn Ford.
Featured Image: Open Grid Scheduler/Flickr.com/cropped/Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)Public Domain Dedication
GWB says: it does not accurately reflect the contributions of people of color and the LGBTQ community
Ummmm…. Actually, it does. Yeah, sure, we should probably ensure that folks like Benjamin Bannaker get mentioned. But honestly there aren’t nearly as many as they like to claim. Black contributions start largely halfway through our history. (Not entirely, but largely.) I can’t think of why you would even need to talk about the sexual proclivities of anyone important in history, with the exception of a few folks like Henry VIII (mostly because his issues with wives drove the creation of the Anglican church). (I can see an insistence on a much deeper chapter in any history of the Roman Empire that references Caligula, once the beastophiles achieve legitimacy.)
some “thought leaders”
BWAHAHA! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… *breathe* …HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
temporarily halt instruction
They’re not learning anything at the moment, anyway, so….
LaShawn Ford was, in a previous life, a school teacher.
Technically, he was a colonizer in the education space. Sort of an Occupy Middle School. Or Elementary. The article doesn’t say where he taught. (Nor if he was any good at it.)
Chicago Morning Answer radio host
Someone should have gotten the radio host or his staffer a better education. “[P]lan to hault history”? Oy vey.
which means he has been reading that ahistoric New York Times “1619 Project”
No. It means he’s in on the scam. Don’t believe the shill is a mark when the 3-card monte game starts.
the United States … was not in existence in 1619, for what it’s worth
This is one of the more nonsensical pushbacks on the 1619 Project. If you talk about Plymouth Rock as one of the founding moments of our country (and I was certainly taught that, back when the dinosaurs roamed the elementary schools) then it was being built from that moment forward. Stick to hammering it for its actual stupidity.
WE need history and more of it
And more correct, too! Of course, this is where Ford and I agree and disagree. I think he’s WAY wrong about the sort of changes that need to be made.
The answer is for parents to take control of their children’s education and teach more history.
YES! ^^THIS^^
Hall says: I think they already have
Michael G. Gallagher says: I hope Trump wins because cleaning out the Augean Stables will be required.
[…] YEARS AGO WHEN MY KIDS ATTENDED HIGH SCHOOL. INSTEAD THEY WERE TEACHING COMMUNIST CATECHISM: Stop Teaching History In Schools – Illinois Rep.I know. I read the books. And if you aren’t reading your kids’ books, you have no idea how bad […]
Bandit says: Yuh – school kids should be less educated – yikes!
Russ Wood says: How many times to people (especially educators) need to be reminded that “Those who would not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”?
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