TOPIC 5.5 The Road to the Civil War

Racism and Antiracism from White Abolitionists

KC-5.2.I.B African American and white abolitionists, although a minority in the North, mounted a highly visible campaign against slavery, presenting moral arguments against the institution…

Objectives: 1. Students will be able to explain the achievements of famous abolitionists.

2. Students will practice antiracist historical skills through critical analysis of primary source materials.

Antiracism in the US history classroom:

“Schools need to create spaces in which students can identify as White and simultaneously work against racism.” - Dr. Beverly D. Tatum

“Denial is the heartbeat of racism…confession is the heartbeat of antiracism.” - Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, argues that students should be provided with examples of White antiracist heroes so that all students can see their place in the fight for racial equality. Highlighting a few White abolitionists is a great way to accomplish this. At the same time, these examples provide us with a great opportunity to highlight some misconceptions about the antiracist cause. An antiracist should focus on exposing racist ideas and racist laws, rather than the futile action of calling a person “a racist.” Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s work explains why the later is not a useful strategy for an antiracist. In reality, “racist” is a descriptive term used to describe what a person is saying or doing in any particular moment, it is not a personal identify. It is very common for a person to say a racist thing one moment and then act an antiracist way in the next. Therefore, all of us should be able to seriously reflect on racist ideas that we may hold, without fear of being identified as a racist. This way, we can take a more honest approach to critical evaluation of ourselves and our community, and be more free to challenge racism wherever it exists.

Notes

This lesson continues conversations about antiracism that my class begins in unit 1. This lesson is followed up in unit 7 with a discussion about racism and antiracism from Black leaders of the early 20th century.

I love the discussion at the end of this lesson. Students engage in thoughtful debate over the usefulness and merits of “cancel culture” and think critically about which antiracist strategies are most effective.

I highly recommend using the Zinn Education Project’s materials on Black Abolitionists some time during your study of unit 4 or 5.