In recent years, many Americans were made aware of the Tulsa Massacre for the first time. The first thing most people experience is shock - it’s hard for anyone to imagine that something like this could happen - that there were individuals who possessed the internal evil to execute this barbaric act.
The second thought most people have is, "Why didn't I know about this? It happened in America; why wasn't it taught in American History?"
Tom Hanks is a noted historian and loved to read about American History. He was shocked and outraged to find out about the gaps in our K-12 educational system. See his interview here:
The Oklahoman ( a newspaper in Oklahoma City) surveyed 305 people, nearly all of them Oklahomans, and found 83% said they never received a full lesson on the Tulsa Race Massacre or Black Wall Street in their K-12 school. Americans in other cities never had a chance.
These are not the only stories missing—our educational curriculums lack information on post-reconstruction events, the Jim Crow era, lynchings, the KKK, and the Civil Rights Era.
Educators who support Unite KC are questioning these omissions and hope to make a difference by offering a complete narrative of our shared history.
If you are interested in how you can make a difference in our Education Domain, contact us at info@unitekc.org.
