By Robert Dean
Carter County Times
When I was a kid growing up on the south side of Chicago, information wasn’t as available as it is today. We didn’t pull a magic machine out of our pockets that could tell us anything we wanted to know. We relied on people who knew things, what adults could say to us, and what piece of information we might glean from the news on the television, or a headline splashed atop the newspaper. Public discourse taught lies, opinions, and half-truths—what others perceived as reality, not what’s actually true.
Take Malcolm X, for example. I thought he was a black dude who hated white dudes. When in reality, he was someone who wanted equality for all people. The way he spoke against rampant racism, which had a cruel thumb in the eye of America, wasn’t something to fear. But when you hear people giving their opinion on character, message, and the status quo from the barstool, you don’t know any better. The letter “X” itself became a warning sign—Malcolm X was painted as a villain, someone to fear. But through his evolution, he marked the change of a man and his viewpoint: “I am not a racist… In the past I permitted myself to be used… to make sweeping indictments of all white people… Because of the spiritual enlightenment which I was blessed to receive as the result of my recent pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca, I no longer subscribe to sweeping indictments of any one race.” And then someone killed him.
The same goes for The Black Panthers. I grew up thinking they hated white people. They were a militant group of black dudes who wanted to kill white people. That was the narrative of the media who feared them, who mislabeled the group that created a complimentary breakfast program for any child to eat before school, opened free healthcare clinics in poor neighborhoods, drove old people around, delivered their groceries, and also gave clothes to community members in need. As I became politically literate, I understood how deeply our perceptions are shaped—and how they can be unlearned through education. The system wasn’t scared of old people making it to their appointment; they were scared of the mobilization of armed, educated black folks who wanted better for their communities. Fred Hampton was murdered in his sleep at 21 years old by Chicago police and the FBI.
As I grew older, I sought out more books, documentaries, and newspapers, determined to unlearn the lies I’d been taught. This journey led me to New Orleans, a city rich in culture and history. When I moved there in my 20s, I made friends who opened my eyes to figures like Marcus Garvey, James Baldwin, jazz musicians, and the real shake, rattle, and roll of the Harlem Renaissance. You can always be “invited to the cookout” because those are some of the most welcoming functions I’ve ever been allowed to share space.
But as the wagon of idiocy continues to roll through town with its ass in front, pulling the weight of the country, just remember: before the false outrage of DEI initiatives, it was critical race theory; before that was common core, and before that, it was multicultural education. There is always a boogeyman. America’s history is complicated. We steal the fun parts of identity from black culture but allow for none of the struggle because who needs that? At the very least, children should be taught to acknowledge that complicated viewpoint without a rose-colored visage while John Wayne rides off into a perfect sunset. We have done things on this land that are heinous and are stamped into the people’s DNA, no matter how fresh they are into the institution of American life.
Education matters. When people peddle faulty reasoning to oppose teaching about racism or sharing stories of struggle, it’s garbage—plain and simple. It’s a shield for those in power, deflecting anger and outrage away from the systems that benefit them. Education is a weapon—sharp, unyielding, and essential—against stupidity, bias, and bigotry. Fight against these things; they will never serve you well, even if you think otherwise. As Chuck D said, ‘Fight the Power.’ Don’t let them strip away your child’s right to know the truth—no matter how ugly it is. Contact us with comments, rebuttals, or letters to the editor at news@cartercountytimes.com
