I guess we can’t teach why Native Americans shed tears on that trail
I guess we can’t teach why Japanese Americans were interned in those camps and jailed
I guess we can’t teach why Jews fleeing the Holocaust came to America and were forced to reverse sail
I guess we can’t teach about those who had their rights stalled at Stonewall as they cried and wailed
Too many in America caught up in ignorance and denial
They’d rather have you forget history than learn about its tribulations and trials
They’d rather NOT teach you the history so white folks don’t feel guilty
They think white kids will only see themselves as evil and filthy
But where were your laws when I was learning about me?
When my history books taught I only came from Slavery?
When my mathematic classes left out black contributions?
When my science classes left out our contributions to evolution?
When my classes talked about America’s hopes and intentions
But didn’t lift my hopes by teaching me about Black inventions?
You don’t think I felt guilty? Like 3/5 of a man?
When y’all taught that I was only civilized when you brought me to this land?

—Nubia—

But I ain’t gonna be selfish, it ain’t just my history dismissed
Cause I can talk about Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and Jewish
Cause y’all wanna exclude the Chinese Exclusion acts from the books
You don’t wanna know about all Latinos labeled as Chicanos…and crooks
And even though there are white Muslims, that narrative won’t work
Cause y’all wanna teach that Muslims are just terrorists who murder and hurt
You don’t wanna teach Islamic contributions to science and math
You don’t wanna teach about Native American soldiers present and past
But maybe at the end of the day we’re all fools
Arguing about something that isn’t even taught in schools
But to me CRT ain’t Critical Race Theory
It’s Culturally Relevant or Culturally Responsive Teaching…hear me?
For teachers teaching and reaching for the truth, your efforts, I applaud it
For the rest of y’all if you didn’t want history taught, why did y’all record it?
But I digress, because my faith in white students is stronger than yours
I know they can handle full history and all of its flaws
They can learn the evils of some white people ’cause those evils were defeated
And when we teach them the history they’re inspired to never repeat it
I know that white kids aged 16-19 can handle 1619
Even white kids in elementary and pre-teens
Because too many students get angry when they find out the truth
About America’s complete history that wasn’t taught in their youth
America can only be as good as its promise when we teach history in full
So let’s support our teachers in teaching the truth in school!