How come I was never taught about Shirley Chisholm in school?

ethiopienne:

feministhistorian:

pnasty:

fyeahwomenshistory:

toulouselastartrek:

Are you going to try and tell me she can be deemed unimportant?

I didn’t learn about her until I took a class on African American Women’s history my junior year of college. I took women’s US history courses prior to that. 

The exclusion of minorities from history textbooks and curriculums and it is a travesty, really. Yes there is Black History Month and Women’s History Month, but they’re not really all that helpful. Students get a brief dose of Martin Luther King Jr/Susan B Anthony/Harriet Tubman for a couple weeks and that’s it. There are only a few figures who have been “selected” and are rehashed year after year.

I do not remember any black figures of the civil rights movement other than MLK and Rosa Parks ever discussed at all in my classes (not even Malcolm X, and I took AP history courses where you supposedly learn more). Obviously those two are key figures that are essential to learn about, but there were many other people who did important things and they have been unjustly erased from the books. And not only are individuals omitted, but entire classes of people (such as LGBTQ history etc) are as well. 

And even though we studied the same figures year after year, I am pretty certain the “lessons” on MLK were basically the same in the fifth grade as they were in high school for me (again, AP HISTORY o cool). 

Idk where I am really going with this and it isn’t directed at anyone in particular, so sorry for the rant. I’m just sick of history written from the perspective of old white dudes. And Tom Hanks. I suppose there is some overlap there lol but whatever. 

I had to reblog for the Tom Hanks comment, even though I loved the entire post.

Ugh all of this. It really makes me sick when I think about it too hard. I had never heard the name Medgar Evers until The Help came out and I was curious as to why people were so upset that the assassination of someone I had never heard of was given so little screen time.

Medgar Evers widow, Myrlie Evers-Williams, is speaking at GA Tech tomorrow for the MLK Celebration week. I’m going! so excited!