Story at a glance:
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is looking to profit off of tourists visiting Indigenous historical and cultural sites.
- The Texas Senate passed a bill that would no longer require schools to teach about the Ku Klux Klan or that the group’s white supremacy is “morally wrong,” nor would schools need to teach Native American history.
- In response to the 1619 Project, Republicans created a more nationalistic interactive guide to teach about how the state won its independence from Mexico.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is looking to make a profit from people visiting Indigenous historical and cultural sites, asking Native American leaders to bolster tourism to the land where their ancestors were murdered and displaced, The Guardian reported.
At the same time, the Texas Senate has supported a bill that would silence school curriculum around Indigenous history and the legacy of white supremacy.
Under a new bill, Texas public schools would no longer be required to teach about the Ku Klux Klan or that the group’s white supremacy is “morally wrong,” nor would schools be required to teach Native American history.
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Against this backdrop, the Texas Historical Commission is hoping to work with Indigenous groups to expand the state’s multibillion-dollar tourism program — even though it’s unclear if original nations will financially benefit or if history will even be taught, The Guardian reports.
The Republican-led education bill is in response to growing support for critical race theory to be taught in schools. Critical race theory is an academic framework based on the premise that race is a social construct and the U.S. legal system is built on racism. Created by Pulitzer prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, the 1619 project is an attempt to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative,” according to New York Times.
In response to the 1619 Project, Republicans created a more nationalistic interactive guide to teach about how the state won its independence from Mexico called the 1836 Project.
Opponents of the theory believe it is designed to shame white students, among other complaints; proponents of the academic concept believe that it adds context to how white supremacy and racism continue to shape policies today.
The new legislature in Texas would not require that schools teach about the violence and colonization of white settlers on Indigenous people.
It also effectively bans teachers from discussing racism and racially motivated attacks.
Dozens of representatives of Indigenous nations with ties to Texas gathered for the Texas Historical Commission’s June meeting, the Guardian reported. A member of the tourism program asked the representatives to identify historically or culturally significant locations to help diversify the program.
“We’re trying to be more inclusive and tribal history falls under that, and we want to include your history in this guide,” said Theresa Caldwell, state coordinator for the commission’s Texas heritage trails program, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by the Texas Observer.
Most of the Indigenous representatives came from groups outside of Texas, with Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas and Ysleta del sur Pueblo residing within the state’s borders.
“I don’t really understand the approach: for us to volunteer, or an opportunity to share our heritage for nonprofit gain within tourism?” an Indigenous representative said. “That being said, how would tribes benefit who are not in Texas?”
“There’s a fine and changing line between tourism and exploitation,” Valerie Grussing, executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, told the Guardian. “[The tourism program] shouldn’t proceed without clear benefits for the people whose stories they are. Otherwise it turns into a new form of colonialism.”
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Published on Aug 11,2021