Five of Little Rock Nine on Arkansas’ attempt to erase Black history

Now five of the Little Rock Nine are speaking out, in the post below, about actions taken by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and the state legislature to restrict what students can learn about Black history. The Sanders administration said recently that the state would not give credit for the Advanced Placement African American studies because it violates a state law that bans lessons that “indoctrinate students with ideologies.” The law is similar to those in other Republican-led states that take aim at teaching about race, systemic racism and other issues.

Despite the state’s move on the AP class, Little Rock School District officials said they would still allow the class to be taught in its schools.

This month, Sanders was asked by a Fox News host about the AP course, and she said in part: “We’ve got to get back to the basics of teaching math, of teaching reading, writing and American history. And we cannot perpetuate a lie to our students and push this propaganda leftist agenda teaching our kids to hate America and hate one another.”

The authors of the following post are Ivory A. Toldson and Ashley L. White of the NAACP Center for Education Innovation and Research, and the following members of the Little Rock Nine: Carlotta LaNier, Terrence Roberts, Melba Beals, Gloria Karlmark and Ernest Green. The NAACP, founded in 1909, is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States.

We are outraged and saddened by the recent decision of the Arkansas Department of Education to remove the Advanced Placement African American Studies class from the state’s approved course list. This is a blatant and shameful attempt to erase Black history and silence Black voices in a state that has a rich and complex legacy of racial struggle and triumph. Arkansas history is Black history.

The role of the NAACP and the Little Rock Nine in dismantling segregation nationwide is well documented and celebrated. Additionally, the uniqueness of this history lies in our presence. We lived these moments and verify this and other African American history — which is American history.

Five of us were among the nine brave students who faced violence, hatred and intimidation to integrate Central High School in 1957. We endured unimaginable hardships and sacrifices to fight for our right to quality education and equal opportunity. We are proud of our contribution to the civil rights movement and the advancement of democracy in this country. We consider the accurate retelling of our history an American right for those of us who endured, a necessity for student learning and mandatory for educational progress in this country. Yet in a number of states we are seeing curriculum violence being perpetuated today by forces who don’t want students to learn the truth about American history.

Our story is not the only one. There are countless other stories of Black Arkansans who have shaped the history and culture of this state and this nation. From Daisy Bates to Maya Angelou, from Al Green to Rodney E. Slater, Black Arkansans have made significant impacts in various fields and domains. Their stories deserve to be told, honored and respected, not erased and ignored.

Arkansas’ actions represent larger statewide and nationwide attempts to whitewash history and deny the realities of systemic racism and oppression. The state legislature has passed legislation that prohibits teachers from addressing topics such as slavery, segregation, discrimination, and social justice in their classrooms. These laws are designed to silence critical inquiry and stifle academic freedom.

Arkansas is but one of many states vigorously attempting to erase the only history that has the potential to right the wrongs of America’s past. Efforts such as Arkansas’ Executive Order to Prohibit Indoctrination and Critical Race Theory in Schools, the dissolution of diversity, equity and inclusion offices and initiatives, and now, its dismissal of African American history in schools, are replicas of other state efforts to erode the legacy and contribution of diverse peoples in this country. Florida, Georgia and Texas are just a few of the nearly 20 states passing laws to rewrite or erase history all together, with a number of other states rejecting similar efforts, which we believe are based on fear, ignorance and bigotry.

Too few students in Arkansas, of all races, have access to accurate Black history, and too few Black students, specifically, have access to AP classes. According to the latest data from the College Board, only 3 percent of AP exam takers in Arkansas were Black, compared to 15 percent nationally. Only 12 percent of AP exam takers in Arkansas took an AP exam related to history or social science, compared to 37 percent nationally.

Removing the AP African American Studies class will only widen these gaps and deprive students of a rigorous and relevant curriculum that prepares them for college and career. We cannot idly watch the removal and/or inaccurate history be told as if those who experienced this very history no longer exist. We are here.

The NAACP and the Little Rock Nine demand that access to AP African American Studies be restored and that Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva create a plan to ensure that all students in Arkansas learn their history, including accurate Black history. It is our expectation that those who hold office hold the sacrifices of all Arkansans in high esteem, not merely those that fit the current political narrative. Oliva should be honored and enthused to present the bold and brave history of the Little Rock Nine and others.

We also call on all educators, parents, students and community members to join us in this fight for justice and equity.

We cannot allow Arkansas or any other state to rewrite history or rob our children of an exemplary educational experience and their future.