MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS HOSTING A HISTORY EDUCATION AND RACE TALK.

IT'S A TIMELY TOPIC HERE IN MINNESOTA.

SCHOOLS AROUND THE STATE ARE REQUIRED TO OFFER ETHNIC STUDIES CLASSES BY 2026.

SO WE INVITED THE SPEAKER FOR TOMORROW'S EVENT TO JOIN US TONIGHT, DONALD YACOVONE, AUTHOR AND ASSOCIATE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY'S HUTCHINS CENTER FOR AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH.

WELCOME TO "ALMANAC."

YOU DID -- YOU LOOK AT EVERY TEXT BOOK FROM, LIKE, THE 1800s ON.

>> >> FROM 1832 DO THE 190ED AND THEN SOME.

>> Eric: YOU FOUND AN OVERWHELMING PRESENCE OF WHITE SUPREMACY, IS THAT -- >> SHOCKINGLY STRONG LEVEL.

INDEED, I DIDN'T INTEND TO WRITE THIS BOOK.

I WAS WRITING A DIFFERENT BOOK AND ON THE PUBLIC MEMORY OF THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT AND, YOU KNOW, ITS IMPACT ON THE CREATION OF THE MODERN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

I THOUGHT, I'LL GO TAKE A LOOK AT A FEW TEXTBOOKS OVER AT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, AND SEE WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT HISTORY OF THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT.

OF COURSE, THEY DIDN'T.

BUT I WAS CONFRONTED WITH THIS COLLECTION OF 3,000 HISTORY TEXT BOOKS, WHICH OVERWHELMED ME.

I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT.

I WAS -- AND IT WAS AS IF SOME VITAL FORCE CAME OVER ME AND SAID, DONALD, YOU HAVE TO READ THESE BOOKS.

TO WHAT END, I HAVE NO IDEA.

I... >> Cathy: AND YOU -- >> THERE WAS NO MOVEMENT, TRUMP WAS NOT PRESIDENT WHEN I STARTED THIS, THERE WAS NO PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS OR DISCUSSION OF WHITE SUPREMACY, OUTSIDE OF ACADEMICS.

BUT I WAS SO ASTONISHED AT THE OVERT AND RELENTLESS EMPHASIS ON WHITENESS IN THESE TEXTBOOKS.

>> Eric: BUT THESE ADDITUDES CAME OVER ON THE MAYFLOWER, DIDN'T THEY?

>> THEY MOST CERTAINLY DID BUT TO SEE THEM IN TEXTBOOKS, A DESIGN TO INCULCATE GENERATION UPON GENERATION OF STUDENTS AND OLDER ADULTS, RIGHT?

WHAT AMERICANS VALUED HE MOST, I MEAN, WHY ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE A TEXT BOOK?

IT'S WHAT YOU'VE DONE, WHAT YOU ARE PROUD OF, WHAT YOU STAND FOR, ND IN THE FUTURE YOU HOPE TO CREATE.

AND WHAT I WAS READING FROM 1832 UNTIL WELL INTO THE 1980s WAS THIS EMPHASIS ON THE IMPORTANCE AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN DESCENTS AND NO OTHERS.

>> Cathy: I WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED TO NOTE THAT NORTHERN PUBLISHERS AND UNIVERSITIES AND ACTIVISTS WERE ACTUALLY MORE RESPONSIBLE THAN THEIR SOUTHERN COUNTERPARTS IN THIS.

>> ONE OF THE MAJOR THEMES, ONE OF THE MAJOR DISCOVERIES THAT I CAME TO REALIZE DOING THIS BOOK WAS IN POPULAR THOUGHT, WE ALWAYS ASSIGNED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE EXISTENCE OF PREJUDICE ON THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY, AND JIM CROW FOLLOWING THE CIVIL WAR.

IN FACT, IN FACT, IT IS NORTHERN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS, IT IS NORTHERN EDUCATORS, IT IS NORTHERN LAWYERS, DOCTORS.

PICK -- WRITERS.

THE FATHER OF AMERICAN WHITE SUPREMACY WAS FROM CANADA.

YOU DON'T GET MORE NORTHERN THAN THAT.

AND HE BECAME THE NATION'S FIRST PROFESSIONAL RACIST, MADE UP -- MADE HIS OFFICE IN THE MIDDLE OF MANHATTAN, BECAME A PUBLISHING POWERHOUSE, NOT JUST IN THE UNITED STATES, NOT JUST IN THE NORTH, NOT JUST IN THE SOUTH BUT IN EUROPE, AS WELL.

>> Eric: IS IT AS SIMPLE AS THE OLD SAYING THAT VICTORS WRITE THE HISTORY?

>> WELL -- VICTORS WERE GOING TO GUARANTEE THE VICTORY.

FOREVER.

>> Eric: YEAH.

HOW ABOUT THE MODERN TEXTBOOKS, HAVE YOU DONE ANY SAMPLING?

>> YES.

FORTUNATELY FOR US, BY THE 1990s, BECAUSE OF THE DRAMATIC CHANGES IN IN THE HISTORY THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY PROFESSIONAL HISTORIANS, THEY LEARNED, FINALLY, HOW TO DO MODERN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND, OF COURSE, WE'VE HAD JUST A TIDAL WAVE OF AFRICAN AMERICANS COME INTO THE DISCIPLINE, MADE A BIG PROFOUND CHANGE.

AND SO MODERN TEXTBOOKS HAVE LOST THIS EMPHASIS ON WHITENESS THAT WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.

NOW, THEY'RE NOT PERFECT AND, IN FACT, WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER HERE, IT IS NOT JUST WHAT IS IN THE TEXT BOOK THAT IS IMPORTANT BUT IT IS ALSO WHAT ISN'T.

>> Eric: I WANT TO GET ONE MORE QUESTION IN BEFORE YOU GO.

YOU GAVE THIS PRESENTATION THAT I SAW ON YOUTube TODAY, YOU CRITICIZED TEACHER TRAINING, YOU SAID SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS WERE OFTEN GYM TEACHERS AND THAT IN THE EN, TEACHERS ARE GOING TO TEACH WHAT THEY WANT TO TEACH WITH AN EYE ON WHAT THE LOCAL SITUATION IS.

DIDN'T SOUND VERY OPTIMISTIC.

>> IT'S NOT -- THERE ARE PROFOUND PROBLEMS, ALL THE MORE REASON FOR US TO FOCUS ON THIS ISSUE BECAUSE SO MANY TEACHERS ARE UNDER ATTACK NOW AND IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, YOU CAN'T DO SOME OF THIS.

>> athy: RIGHT.

>> IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.

AND IF YOU DO YOU GET FIRED.

>> Eric: TELL US WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO BE AT THE HISTORY CENTER TOMORROW?

>> TOMORROW, YES, STARTS AT 11:00.

>> Eric: TEACHING WHITE SUPREMACY, A VERY INTERESTING READ.

THANKS FOR COMING OVER.

>> Cathy: THANKS FOR DOING THE RESEARCH.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

>> Eric: WE APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.