Why it’s so important to teach Georgia’s history — all of it. | Opinion

When I first moved to Macon – now over 50 years ago – there was an ongoing debate as to whether African Americans could attend a local community theater. A handful of progressives - white and Black - went so far as to establish a new theater upstairs in the old library. They called it Macon Area Community Theater (Macon ACT).

A young Black woman who was a part of that project invited me to become a regular contributor to The Telegraph and ultimately she became godmother to my four children. I’ll save that story for another day, but I confess that I thought of those days when I attended a recent production of “Fences” at Theatre Macon, a group that arose back when Macon ACT folded.

“Fences” is the work of the late August Wilson, who produced a play chronicling the African-American experience in each decade of the 20th century. The production served as a reminder that there are many ways to tell history, and dramatic literature is in fact one of the best.

In the case of Richard Woods’ unsuccessful attempt to refuse statewide approval for the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course, his objection was based on 2022’s House Bill 1084, which prohibits the teaching of “divisive concepts.” This law, not surprisingly, has been accused of hiding racism. It would certainly make it near impossible to describe the daily events during the era of slavery or during the Civil Rights Movement.

Speaking as someone with over 50 years in college classrooms and four children who graduated from Central, I can’t help but question Woods’ priorities. Currently absenteeism is at epidemic levels, especially in impoverished neighborhoods. The constant drumbeat of calls to take funds from the education budget to provide scholarships to private schools (of which there are many in Bibb County) continues to unnecessarily pull middle class students away from public schools in spite of their successes.

I read recently that the 147 Georgia counties outside of the 12-county metro-Atlanta region would make up the second worst educated state in our nation. The same study pointed out that 22% of the state’s population lives in the 88 counties that fell into the bottom quartile of health outcomes. It is clear that education and health are interconnected. Is this fact a divisive concept?

These statistics should be of interest to both Woods and Gov. Brian Kemp. Likewise, the similar problems in Georgia’s prisons are well known. Certainly, the intersectionalities of poverty, health and education work together to create seemingly insoluble problems that will only grow worse.

Currently the problems of declining literacy, banned books and grade inflation are dominating the education news. Rather than reading books, students both young and old are being seduced by such replacements at Blinkist. Most troubling is the way that cultural battles have intruded on curricular discussions, as seen in the recent controversy over the African-American History course.

Is it really 2024? When I arrived in Macon in 1973, many were still clinging to the past, and de facto segregation was still readily visible Now, over 50 years later, vestiges still exist in parts of the state. Much that occurred in the mid-20th century must be fully grasped by all races, for the culture that has been so forged is what makes Georgia great.

While some come to Georgia for Mercedes-Benz stadium, others come from around the world to stand quietly on Auburn Avenue and reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. Georgia’s history, known throughout the globe, is our greatest asset: It’s the duty of all of us to pass it on, the rough with the smooth.

Larry Fennelly can be reached at larney_f@hotmail.com.