Don't you want to see more diverse books in school? Books that can uplift and include everyone, So why is whitewashing still around? Whitewashing is used to alter (something) in a way that favors, features, or caters to white people. When you enter America whitewashing is all around you, even in schools. But we can fix that. In order to increase equity in the American school system, we can start by updating history textbooks and by incorporating more people of color in school. 

There are so many stories in history that have been written for a certain race to be more dominant. As Marley K pointed out in the Mothers of Massive Resistance, “She called the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and the American Legion to help censor instructional materials, textbooks, and films, and to sponsor statewide essay contests on the benefits of racial segregation and anti-communist crusades.” The school system was created with this which is why we must educate students of today and of the future. 

A Lot of students don't know what really happened in history but it's not their fault, it's the American school system. Many students graduate with a poor understanding of how slavery shaped our country and are unable to understand the powerful lasting effects. As Nikita Stewart describes, “Nearly 60 percent of teachers did not believe their textbooks coverage of slavery was adequate.” So educators notice this is happening and there still is no change. 

How many teachers have you had who weren't white? Another big problem is that there are not enough educators that are a person of color. Throughout my 16 years on this earth, I have had a total of 3 teachers that were a person of color. As Laura Meckler says in“ yet researchers have found significant positive results when black and Hispanic students have teachers who match their race or ethnicity” When students are able to see someone similar to them they will want to come to school more and engage in class more. She also adds “Teachers of color also have higher expectations for students of color, which may fuel the other gains.” I know if I had a teacher that was Guatemalan or even just Latinx I would be excited to learn and have a bond with the teacher. I would love to see more people of color as educators and principles, rather than lunch staff, or janitors. 

You might ask what are examples of whitewashing in school. Well from a personal perspective, in elementary school I sang a song in front of the whole school with several other students. This song went like “This land is my land this land is your land...” when in reality this is native land. This takes us to grow up being taught that Christopher Columbus FOUND America. When he actually came across this land that had peaceful kind Native Americans that taught the colonizers so many things. And in return, Christopher Columbus and his men raped, tortured, murdered, and stripped away their culture. I know many might say it's a gruesome thing to teach little kids, and I agree with that but why lie about who founded the land? If we were taught Natives were here first and then got their land stolen by colonizers, when we're older we can be taught more in-depth. Most of us know Rosa Parks as an African American activist who refused to move from the white section of the bus. But did you know her story got twisted, as Elisa Roland describes “Ms. Parks was actually sitting in the first row of the middle section for African Americans... But when more passengers boarded, the bus became packed and a white man was left standing.” So with this happening the bus driver demanded ms. parks and 3 others to move but she refused as we all know. These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to whitewashing in history. 

Now that you're informed on this issue you can join many others and I to urge that the American school system update their textbooks and other learning materials that include and uplift everyone. As Bob Peterson gave many examples of what we can do. I agree that “A campaign to demand the transformation of social studies text and teachings might be just the place to start.” This is a big issue so this is a very reasonable place to start. I'm not sure about you but I would love to see a future of kids who understand who and how America came to be. I would love to be able to see American school systems finally give POC the recognition they deserve.