The Trail of Tears Should be Part of Curriculum in Every School

Chief Hoskin’s tweet said: “Manufactured rage against the non-existent #CRT crisis in schools begets an hysterical effort to ban books, which begets a ban on teaching about the #TrailofTears. #IndianCountry already suffered centuries of suppression. Just stop. https://texastribune.org/2021/10/26/texas-school-books-race-sexuality/… via @TexasTribune”

As the leader of one of the Cherokee Nations, one of the largest tribal nations in Indian Country, the chief’s response was appropriate because he fully understands the deep pain his people suffered during the Trail of Tears.

Further he is correct regarding #CRT, which means Critical Race Theory, an academic concept that claims racism is a social construct that did not originate through an individual bias or prejudice. The Trail of Tears, as well as other Native history, should be part of the curriculum in every school across America.

CRT is a scare tactic used by right-wing people who don’t want the truth taught about the genocidal practices perpetrated against Native Americans throughout American history.

Last summer, Texas Gov. Abbott vowed to have the legislature send him a stronger version for his signature spelling out that race relations cannot be taught in public schools.

Abbott is among several Republican governors who want to forbid critical race theory taught to students. These Republicans act if racism did not exist in the United States. This erasure of reality is called whitewashing history.

In South Dakota last summer tribes protested when the South Dakota Department of Education decided to remove more than a dozen Indigenous-centered learning objectives from the department’s new social studies standards. 

Read more here.