It’s not difficult to understand why those who believe that the white-washed version of American history supersedes all others have a problem with the concept of wokeness.
Don’t hold your breath that those who believe the 1915 film Birth of a Nation is the most fantastic movie ever made, or who protest the removal of monuments that celebrate the confederacy, will have an epiphany and suddenly embrace the objective truth divulged through Critical Race Theory (CRT).
If you’ve spent time contemplating the worsening racial climate, you know that race relations in America are knee-deep in dodo. Particularly now, efforts to agree on how to reflect the reality of black folks’ bondage and struggle for freedom throughout history appear ill-timed.
Contrary to oppositional thinking, the woke culture isn’t a new trend intended to anger whites, nor is it based on revisionist history. Instead, the purpose of CRT is to clarify the events occurring since blacks set foot on the American shore and ensure a realistic portrayal of our Nation’s history.
The negativity and allegations of histrionics that wokeness prompt typically occurs in a segment of the population which opposes verifiable American history. Frankly, those opposing inclusion are inclined to reject all aspects of the black experience.
Despite the resistance to CRT, black people shouldn’t, for a moment, surrender to those who’d ignore fact-based American history. To do so is akin to supporting state-sponsored racism.
It’s an uphill fight apparent in the action of U.S. senator Tim Scott, R-SC, a black man, who equated wokeness with white supremacy. Scott is low-hanging fruit for those who liken him to a conforming negro. One former NAACP leader referred to Scott’s wronghead thinking as that of a ventriloquist puppet, while others flatly called him an Uncle Tom. Suffice it to say that he’s an instrument in attempts to dilute the Nation’s authentic history, employing strategies typical of CRT opponents.
Senator Scott’s assertion is more typical of influential whites, who blur reality and prevent the emergence of black history. Moreover, Scott’s ignorance offends black people, who, long before wokeness became associated with culture wars, recognized the importance of substantially revising portions of American history that excludes their ancestor’s contribution and blood sacrifice.
In a recent opinion piece, Scott attempts to set the record straight on his statement about wokeism, saying, “I am painfully aware that four centuries of racism, bigotry, and killings do not compare to the nascent woke movement. Unfortunately, we continue to pay a heavy price for our original sin as a country.”
There’s no doubt that blacks long have thought about their identity and the accuracy of their place in the Nation’s history. However, being black and being a Republican causes immediate speculation because it unfairly matches race with political ideology.
The late David McCullough (1933-2022), historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning and prolific author, dedicated himself to documenting accurate American history. He said the following about the importance of accuracy in history: “A nation that forgets its past can function no better than an individual with amnesia.”
Anthony Stanford is a columnist, publicist, and author of the book, “Copping Out the Consequence of Police Corruption and Misconduct.”