Lawmakers threaten to cut funding to schools that share award-winning 1619 project curriculum.

" Lawmakers aren't new to this, they are true to this!" -MAR

"Lawmakers in several statehouses this year want to stop lesson plans that focus on the centrality of slavery to American history as presented in the New York Times’ 1619 Project, previewing new battles in states over control of civics education.

Lawmakers in the following states Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and South Dakota filed bills last month that, if enacted, would cut funding to K-12 schools and colleges that provide lessons derived from the award-winning 1619 project.

Some historians say the bills are part of a larger effort by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, to glorify a more White and patriarchal view of American history that downplays the ugly legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black people, Native Americans, women and others present during the nation’s founding." -(The 19th News, By: Barbara Rodriguez Statehouses Reporter)

"DOING THE WORK"

Is it surprising to see headlines of the sort during Black History Month? No, not at all. "Law makers aren't new to this, they are true to this!" Yes, this month lends itself to eye opening opportunities to dig deeper into being "woke", self pruning, history reflections and advocating for a better future. As we prepare our Future First Education platform with MAR we've become increasingly aware of the need to bridge the gap between the decisions that lawmakers are making for our children, curriculum that's being prepared by educators in the classroom and the need for moms to catchup with lost history robbed of us in our childhood.

We've shared an article below about the 1619th project that sets the tone for how we prepare to respond as an organization centered around equitable teaching closing the divide. This article puts into perspective the need for our moms and households to "do the work" that our lawmakers are making harder for our educators to carryout.

Harsh Reality. But, TRUE! Now What?....

What can you do?

1. Follow @futurefirstedu1 on Instagram

2. Join our email list: www.momsagainstracism.org/futurefirsteducation

3. Look for ways to get involved in our Education Advocacy Team

4. Share info on the 1619 Project & Future First Education

About The 1619 Project

"The project, which was first published in the New York Times Magazine in 2019 and for which its creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones, won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, marked the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first known enslaved Africans in the British colonies that became the United States. It includes audio, essays, poems, graphics and visual art pieces that reframe the legacy of slavery in contemporary American life, arguing that Black Americans are the foundation of U.S. democracy.

The Pulitzer Center, in partnership with the 1619 Project, has made available related lesson planning and says more than 4,000 educators from all 50 states have reported using its resources. While some historians have criticized parts of the project, the Times has stood behind it (a more recent editor’s note further defending the project acknowledges that the newsroom’s separate opinion section has published pieces against it), and other historians have praised the project’s approach and rigor and treatment of the role of white supremacy in U.S. history. "Education boards have engaged in political battles over how American students learn about everything from the Civil War to ethnic studies and health. Proposed legislation that would penalize schools for teaching curriculums based on the 1619 Project signals a new era of policy debate over civics education that may increasingly play out in state legislatures."

(Read the Full Article) (The 19th News, By: Barbara Rodriguez Statehouses Reporter)