69.036 - "It's No Accident That This Happens in Texas": Textbook Controversies, (Mis)Representation, and Racial Violence

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

Texas textbooks have been a source of controversy for years. In 2010, the Texas Board of Education approved a social studies curriculum that privileged a conservative political view, with some state-sanctioned textbooks suggesting Moses influenced the writing of the Constitution, reframing capitalism as the "free market," dismissing the history of the separation of church and state, and revisioning African American slaves as "immigrant workers." In this session, scholars and leaders from the Texas education community will engage in a conversation about the historical and political contexts that condone the misrepresentations of communities of color and their experiences. The panelists will discuss ways that teachers and students actively resist material acts of racism, disrupt state-mandated curriculum, and reclaim a multicultural education.

Sub Unit

• Division K - Teaching and Teacher Education

Chair

• Marcelle M. Haddix, Syracuse University

Participants

• Anthony L. Brown, The University of Texas - Austin

• Keffrelyn D. Brown, The University of Texas - Austin

• Linda McSpadden McNeil, Rice University

Discussants

• Joyce E. King, Georgia State University

• Sylvia Wynter, Stanford University