I am in my 50s, born and raised in Salt Lake City UT, so to say I received a white-washed version of American history would be quite the understatement. As I recall, there was a vague paragraph about Frederick Douglass, though of course no quotes of his writings. Sure, slavery was mentioned, its existence was acknowledged, but it was treated like, oh I don't know, like the drunk uncle at the family Thanksgiving gathering, who everyone just nods that he is there and then otherwise just try pretend he is NOT there, and continue with the happy celebratory feast. History class gave me facts, figures, names, dates to memorize, in short they seemed to try and make sure history was the class you would fall asleep in. Teaching history as just names and dates to memorize for a test was the preferred way, I guess, to cause "no offense" to anyone.

In short, I was cheated. I was cheated of the opportunity to read the actual remarkable words of Fredrick Douglass, was cheated of any knowledge that he had met and spoke with President Lincoln. I was cheated of knowledge of the true depth and breadth of the horror that was plantation life for a slave.

I deeply regret and resent the shallow and sanitized and, yes, white-washed education I received in public school. Happily, it is never too late to learn. Also, happily, all the recent complaints against the proposed African American studies AP course gave me some names of thinkers and writers to begin to examine and learn from. I now take careful note of whatever the radical Right targets in classrooms or the books that they ban, because I have discovered that sends me on a journey to encounters with brilliant minds and amazing and thought-provoking writing.