A clip circulating online is from PragerU, a right-wing media company partnering with the Trump administration. It's just weeks after the administration cut $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which includes PBS and NPR. In the video, a cartoon version of Christopher Columbus says that slavery was "no big deal."
"Being taken as a slave is better than being killed, no?" the character says. Another video that portrays Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist who dedicated his life to anti-slavery work, describes slavery as a "compromise." Besides its blatant anti-Blackness, the worst part is that PragerU is weaseling its way into classrooms.
This content is a danger to our children because it resembles typical kids' programming but with specific, anti-Black messaging. Several states, including Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana, already partner with PragerU and share its content in public schools. Here's what we need to do.
This isn't the first time they've tried to rewrite history or keep education from us altogether. We come from generations of folks who risked their lives to teach the community. It's time for us to carry the torch.
Let's commit to preserving our history as we always have: through community and storytelling. It's our responsibility to ensure Black children know who they are and the greatness they come from.