Article by Carol Prickett ***
The League of Women Voters of Alabama, with members all across the state, has a deep and abiding commitment to educating Alabama citizens about current issues. We believe that an accurately informed population votes for the government that best serves the state. With this focus on urgent current matters, why do we take just as strong a stand about teaching history in our public schools?
It is because the stories we tell about the past shape the decisions we make in the future.
Students trust teachers to tell them, clearly and articulately, what really happened leading up to current events. There can be little hope for an informed electorate if, instead, those teachers perpetuate fantasies and one-sided perspectives.
As the world grapples with a global pandemic, it has once again become obvious that science does not provide absolute unchanging answers. It must always be updated to reflect new information. In the same way, history does not provide absolute unchanging information. It, too, must always be updated to reflect new information, information that opens discussions about lessons learned.
Our trusted teachers are preparing their students to be tomorrow’s voters. Those students deserve to be – must be – engaged in difficult conversations, rather than being fed fairy tales that gloss over the past. Legislative mandates such as those now before the state legislature hobble Alabama’s teachers and result in an uninformed and misinformed electorate. And that goes against everything for which the League of Women Voters stands.
[LWVAL Legislative Note: The League of Women Voters of Alabama agrees with the author’s statements in this post. A bill that conflicts with this view, HB312 (Oliver), the “Divisive Concepts Bill”, is coming up for discussion and possible vote in the House State Government Committee on March 15, 2022. The LWVAL stands in strong opposition to this bill. Read HB312 and follow its progress in the Legislature. The reader is encouraged to contact her/his state senator and voice opposition to this bill. Please do so in your own name and not in the name of the League. Thank you!]
