Racial Equity Through Curricular Reform

Where to look for creating a culturally relevant and sustaining understanding of the world for today’s students

The high school I attended was named after a Confederate general. I served as co-editor of the Confederate yearbook and contributed to The Shiloh, the school newspaper. My high school resume looks like a tribute to the Lost Cause.

Yet my high school, which occupied a space in the racially diverse barrio of East Austin in Texas, was not a neo-Confederate learning space. I was taught by progressive, caring teachers who prepared us for a society that would judge us not only on our academic achievements, but also on our racial, ethnic and socioeconomic identities.

Today, I realize that the normalization of Confederate Lost Cause figures such as Gen. Albert S. Johnston and postmaster general John H. Reagan — and the lack of critical attention to why these names adorned schools — was a missed opportunity to recognize the complex, confounding and sometimes despicable historical record that American society is slowly summoning the courage to confront.

Now, in 2021, with an incredible opportunity born out of the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many other people of color, we have an opportunity to consider what changes educators and districts should take to empower our youth to envision a racially equitable society.

The answer has less to do with our individual failings and more to do with our curriculum.