In the 1950s, when my mother came to the United States to study journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she remembered how the KKK could march freely across campus singing “Holy, Holy, Segregation, Go to Hell.” I witnessed it in horror. Through integration and holy separation, the South will rise again. ” I also remember how her roommate suddenly became hostile when she heard that my mother had befriended an African American student. And my mother was born and raised in a country called Colombia, which is still considered part of the “Third World” today. But American conservatives always resist change and progress and find ways to turn back the clock.
The DEI ban bill currently being considered in the Alabama Senate (note: it was approved late Thursday afternoon) speaks volumes about this trend as Republicans seek to mandate what college professors should and should not teach. It tells the story. While politicians in all other developed countries dare not dictate to professors how to teach their courses or what to add to their syllabuses, American conservatives, with the support of evil billionaires, In response, they want to transform college campuses into large-scale homeschool facilities that can be understood from their own perspective. I'll teach you. I can only imagine what Sorbonne professors would do if some French politician dared to mention what books they should use in class.
With this in mind, America's concept of a “land of the free” sounds great, but it is fundamentally limited, dangerous, and deeply problematic, especially since it only works for white conservatives. it is clear. This danger is especially true when people without knowledge of pedagogy decide what professors at public universities should and should not teach.
This intrusion is problematic, not just theoretical. We have seen in the past what extremism based on ignorance and prejudice can do to a nation. We saw it in Germany, we saw it in Palestine, and we'll see it in the United States in 2024.
As a university professor and journalist, I have analyzed the limits of what academics can say and do in my home country and here, and how, to this day, a Colombian professor has greater academic freedom than a Colombian professor. You will be shocked to know what is going on. United States If we measure a country's level of development based solely on it, we have to redefine how developed this country actually is.
Banning a course curriculum based on emotion just because you feel it's unfair for white youth to learn what their ancestors did and feel uncomfortable about it is all arbitrary and dictatorial. This is the core of our doctrine. And what makes me look beautiful? ” Behind this premise is the burying of the very real racism of African Americans, discrimination against women, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and Native Americans, and the inclusion of affirmative action programs and their history. There are attempts to deny the obligation to pay historical debts. In our curriculum, no one in a modern state would dare to ban it. Banning books and banning university curricula is the exact opposite of what the Land of the Free stands for and what it is supposed to guarantee.
Forcing children to go to specific bathrooms in a way that goes against diversity, equity, and inclusion is unacceptable in the modern world. Alabama's Republican senators should have the humility to broaden their horizons, read history books, and recognize the need to go to the bathroom. On the right side of history. And more importantly, education should be left in the hands of pedagogical experts.
As a university professor, I uphold the most fundamental principles of human knowledge and scholarship. In other words, only by knowing our past can we progress as a society. Not just white people who want to deny the wrongdoings of their ancestors, but as a multicultural, inclusive, intelligent and open society. Below that is the core of Afghanistan, North Korea, and Russia. Is that what senators want for America?
(My opinions are my own and do not represent my institution.)
This opinion first appeared on AL.com.
