Prof. James McCarty quoted in USA Today about teaching Black History in America

The following is an excerpt from USA Todays article “Black history is under attack across US from AP African American Studies to ‘Ruby Bridges’” by Alia Wong, featuring a quote by Assistant Clinical Professor of Religion and Conflict Transformation James McCarty, published on August 23, 2023. 


What would MLK Jr. do?

James McCarty, a theologian, ethicist and professor of conflict transformation at Boston University who has written about and researched King extensively, said lessons about the civil rights hero and his era have been sanitized for years.

But the growing boldness of efforts to whitewash lessons is something McCarty said he hasn’t seen before. Certain people are seeking to remove everything that may cause discomfort, he said, yet “a good educational practice is to make people uncomfortable.”


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