OPINION: Beware of the assaults on the history of race in America

By Ivory Phillips

JA Contributing Editor

As the Black Consciousness and Black Power Movement escalated in the late 1960s, there were demands on many college and school campuses for the teaching of Black history. At the same time, there was also a serious distrust among many regarding white history teachers. That was the case because on the one hand there were very few courses taught or American curriculum inclusions of material relative to Black people. On the other hand, in the rush to fill the void, historical writings were put on the market that were clearly biased when it came to matters of race. 

Just two examples may suffice. 

(1) In the bicentennial-edition of “The History of Rosedale,” there is only paragraph that mentions Blanche K. Bruce, easily the town’s most noted historical figure, and no mention is made of the role of Black residents who have always been a majority of the population. 

(2) Civil rights activist James Meredith complained that most of the Black heroes that he admired were often described by white writers as Communists.

Unfortunately, those kinds of historical assaults – omissions, smears and distortions – are not new. Historian Thomas Pressly, in his book, “Americans Interpret their Civil War,” talks about the way in which the environment and culture influence the writings of historians. What he said in 1954 regarding the matter can be witnessed on the rise in the 2020s, as current white supremacist political leaders assert their influence. Below are four such examples.

(1) Last Summer, one historian for “History is Lunch” discussed his research on lynchings in the state. He suggested lynchings had not been a particularly Black thing, offering examples of white lynch victims. This kind of assault was reported based upon newspaper articles. The reality of the situation, however, was that more than 80% of the lynch victims were Black and that since the 1920s there have been no white victims. The more accurate figures and subsequent history can be obtained from the Black press, independent researchers, and other sources that were less biased than the contemporary newspapers.

(2) A second historian who had done research on and written a book entitled “The Eyes of Willie McGee” about the conviction and electrocution of Willie McGee, asserted in public remarks that Willette Hawkins, who had accused McGee of rape, had clearly been sexually assaulted. Upon being questioned about his belief, he offered no deeper explanation, only pointing to court records. Again, one can realize how biased Jim Crow courts were at the time and that there was conflicting testimony at the trials.

(3) In the case of the Emmett Till lynching, if one only relied on the court records and mainstream news accounts, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were innocent. Other accounts, however, including the Black press and a “Look” magazine article, tell a different story. Additionally, the traditional historical accounts do not lend credence to the idea that there were other conspirators involved in the abduction and murder of Till.

(4) On a lighter note, but still involving race, in their “comprehensive” book, “The Mississippi Football Book,” the writers do not discuss what was perhaps the best team in state college football history, the 1962 Jackson State College Tigers. The team was not only Black College Champions that year. Their coach, John Merritt, has since been ranked 71 on the list of the top 200 American college football coaches of all time. Of the players on that team, 17 went on to play professional football. No team before or since has matched that record. Were we talking about an all-white or even a team from a predominately white college, they would have been treated differently.

These are four cases wherein only individuals, who were somewhat familiar with the events as eye witnesses or extensive study, raised questions. Imagine how such assaults fare when they are part of a presentation before much less informed audiences. Likewise, imagine the numerous other assaults through other presentations and one can appreciate the Black skepticism or distrust of many white historians and history teachers.

It may sometimes be difficult to know the intentions of the historians as these assaults occur. It is not difficult to see, however, that such assaults are on the increase as members of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) crowd increase their activities. It is also not difficult to see the impacts of the assaults, especially as they protect and/or advance American racism, White Supremacy. 

Thus, our conclusions here are that because this is America where race has always been paramount and where White Supremacy still reigns supreme, one must always choose her/his history sources carefully/wisely. Because we need history as a guide in order to advance and to avoid repeating the same kinds of errors, we must become serious students of history. At the same time, we must beware and guard against the onslaught of history assaults that will keep coming our way when it comes to race. Do not throw out the baby with the bath water, but make sure that the bath water is clean before the bath.