Reply to DCPS, Selma and the distortion of history

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Maureen Dowd had an interesting column in yesterday's NY Times.  She went to see Selma in Washington and the theater was filled with DCPS children.  Apparently DCPS has obtained funds to send school kids to see the film.  She described the kids' reaction to the Lyndon Johnson scenes and character as quite negative.  Why should DCPS be sending school kids to see a film -- under the guise of history, no less -- that  significantly departs from the true historical record and slanders the president who did more for civil rights and African-Americans than any other president besides Lincoln??[/quote]

This problem really started with Spielberg. After Schindler's List they marketed Amistad with study guides and encouraged schools to send kids to see (and BUY) their commercial product, which was presenting history as melodrama through fiction. Historians wrote editorials to protest. Many high school history teachers were grateful that they didn't have to write lesson plans. And local theaters appreciated the cash.  The question is not how accurate Selma is as a feature film. The question is whether we are educating students to think about how history is made or are we training them to be consumers?

Seriously, if you want to teach about civil rights, why not reach out to the hundreds of living witnesses living right here in our neighborhoods? They all have stories to tell and students can learn how oral history interviews can be cross-referenced with other sources....But it's easier to get a foundation to send kids to the movies I guess....part of the privatization of schools....[/quote]

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