Earlier this summer, my family and I went on vacation to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. We spent much of the time hiking at the two large state parks around the lake. As we were planning our hikes each day, we carefully studied the hiking maps provided by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The description of one trail immediately caught my eye:

“Bluestem Knoll Trail gives hikers an idea of how the Ozark landscape looked when settlers first arrived more than two centuries ago. Widely spaced trees, tall native grasses and wildflowers were characteristic of the natural communities found in central Missouri.” 

What do you notice about how this trail description is phrased? What immediately caught my eye is the reference to what the landscape looked like when “settlers first arrived.” Although this description isn’t necessarily incorrect, it ignores the fact that people inhabited this land thousands of years before settlers arrived. This particular land was predominately the land of the Osage and the Kickapoo. 

Although this might seem like an insignificant example, these false and misleading narratives are not rare. In February 2020, CBS News reviewed four U.S. history textbooks as part of their Black History Month series. In one textbook, a map referred to enslaved Africans as immigrants. In another story from NPR, a map describing “patterns of immigration,” read that the Atlantic slave trade brought “millions of workers from Africa to the southern United States to work on agricultural plantations.” 

These are just examples that have made the news. Recently, a teacher contacted me to share an example from the curriculum purchased by their district. The example shared was a map showing most of the present-day United States as “unclaimed territory” in the 1700s and accompanying text reading, “America was an unchartered territory until European explorers arrived.” This perpetuates a false narrative. 

It is more important than ever to examine the instructional materials you are using and challenge these narratives. What language are they using? Do the materials still call the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Tulsa Race Riots? Do the materials say Columbus “discovered” America or that the land was unclaimed territory when settlers arrived? Do the materials say the Civil War began because of states’ rights without any mention of slavery? Likewise, do the materials leave out marginalized voices? Leaving out voices also perpetuates a false and misleading narrative. We must challenge and stop perpetuating these narratives. 

To challenge these narratives, we must acknowledge the roots of racism and inequality in our history. At the last NCSS Board of Directors meeting, the board continued discussions about what we can do as an organization to examine issues of race, equity, and inclusion. Educators and school districts across the country are also doing this work. Some are addressing these issues with our youngest students. Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky has adopted the “Developing Black Historical Consciousness” curriculum developed by NCSS member, Dr. LaGarrett King (University of Missouri). The Salem-Keizer school district in Oregon is also doing work to revamp their curriculum to better challenge these narratives and “reflect the diversity of the world.” Ayo Magwood, a teacher in the D.C. area, created Uprooting Inequality, a series of resources to teach about and address the roots of racism in the United States. This work is critical in order to challenge these narratives and acknowledge past and present racism. 

Ayo Magwood, Uprooting Inequality (used with permission)

It has always been important to challenge the narrative and people throughout history have always done so, but it is critical now more than ever. Social studies educators are uniquely poised to do this. I hope you take the challenge.