Slavery existed in early Erie County, yet it is a topic rarely or only briefly addressed in published histories.
It’s also a part of the ongoing national debate on critical race theory — the academic examination of whether and how American institutions and policies perpetuate racism — and the effects of teaching about race, racism, slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow era violence, and segregation.
“We don’t need to burden our kids with guilt for racial crimes they had nothing to do with,” said Texas state Rep. Steve Toth, who wrote the 2021 Texas bill banning K-12 teaching of critical race theory.
History must be known and owned to change attitudes and policies, said Gary Horton, president of the Erie chapter of the NAACP.
Why study Black history?: Because it is American history
“Hiding our history, trying to protect kids from truth, can’t be good,” Horton said. “You can’t draw a line in history and not teach slavery, not acknowledge the lynching parties, burning people of color at the stake, whipping and castrating them, all the horrible things done to African-Americans.