Texas Chooses KKK Over MLK

What and how children are taught in school affects what they perceive as right and wrong, thus why it’s always been up for debate. People with opposing political views could argue what should be taught to children because they want them to agree with their “side.” On July 16th, 2021, the Texas senate (in an 18-4) vote, altered a bill that would now, among other things, no longer require teachers to consider the KKK “morally wrong.” They will also be removing the requirement to include Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, Susan B. Anthony’s fight for women’s suffrage, and the importance of Native American history. People have taken to social media to express their disapproval.

Those that disapprove of the alteration argue that the things being removed out of the curriculum are essential to the history of America. A teacher of 15 years, Tricia Cave, tweets “I read the bill this morning and was horrified! How do we learn and grow if we refuse to even acknowledge our mistakes?” A key point of making progress as a society is admitting that what happened in the past was wrong and continuing to make corrections. Allowing for schools to hide such a cruel and heartbreaking time in history means there will never be true progress. Hiding the wrongdoings of American history allows for the repetition of said wrongdoings. If there isn’t complete transparency being taught in schools, there will be false versions of reality being taught to America’s children, and eventually etched into the mind of America’s adults. Jarvis Johnson tweets “We must defend the truth in our classrooms. SB3 does the opposite.” As a result of this, students will not understand the importance of the history of POC.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech is a huge part of American history. It brought attention to the civil rights movement, causing congress to pass the civil rights act faster. MLK’s name was known widely after his speech because he offered a peaceful approach to the civil rights movement. He deeply understood the importance of a nonviolent approach to the fight for equality for all people, regardless of race. MLK was one of the catalysts to countless marches for peace and acknowledging that there are going to be hardships (including getting hosed, beaten, arrested, and even spit on), but maintaining the hope that everything will work out. MLK’s “I have a dream” speech is crucial enough to be included in school curriculums across the nation. The removal of his significance in schools is removing the civil rights movement; it’s removing his and others’ contributions; it’s the belittlement of POC and our right to equality. “I have a dream” was meant to inspire people to fight for equality, to fight for their dream, until it’s a reality. Twitter user, @2guysdoingapodcastpodcast, considers the banning of his speech to be “the most blatant form of systematic racism in a long time.” Despite efforts from a republican government, the erasure of black culture will not happen,