teaching black history to white people by leonard n moore

Instead of trying to explain issues like slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement, Moore outlines very simply WHY these and other issues matter. Moore knows of what he writes it’s inescapable in every clear word of every page of this short book. It’s easier, for example, to make critical race theory (CRT) an issue than actually examine why it is an existential issue, or so it seems, for some. While race relations have played out overtly in history and the news, the core motivations are rarely acknowledged. Yet deep down, many non-Black Americans deny the past and oversimplify current reality and the future to suit their innermost needs. The influence of race on every part of American life makes understanding and dealing with it essential if the American Experiment is to continue to evolve so that all of its citizens have opportunities to realize their potential. So in my perfect world, every American would be obliged to read it.Īmerican history, politics, governing, culture, and contemporary times are dominated by race, whether perceivable or not. Why should requiring the 86% learn about the 14% be a high priority? Moore's concise and accessible work answers the question. Period.” Considering Blacks make up about 14% of the American population, that’s an audacious way for Leonard Moore to begin his book. (This inhuman world must become more humanįriedrich Dürrenmatt, Die Wiedertäufer“Every white person in America should be required to take a Black history class in either high school or college. Moore includes a syllabus and other tools for actionable steps that white people can take to move beyond performative justice and toward racial reparations, healing, and reconciliation.ĭiese unmenschliche Welt muß menschlicher werden He poses provocative questions, such as “Why is the teaching of Black history so controversial?” and “What came first: slavery or racism?” These questions don’t have easy answers, and Moore insists that embracing discomfort is necessary for engaging in open and honest conversations about race.

With Teaching Black History to White People, which is “part memoir, part Black history, part pedagogy, and part how-to guide,” Moore delivers an accessible and engaging primer on the Black experience in America. Drawing on decades of experience in the classroom and on college campuses throughout the South, as well as on his own personal history, Moore illustrates how an understanding of Black history is necessary for everyone.

Leonard Moore has been teaching Black history for twenty-five years, mostly to white people.

Teaching black history to white people by leonard n moore