Churchill Helen Episode 5: Days 6 and 7 - A Reflection

In the fortnight before I left Australia for this fabulous fellowship, I was invited to comment in Australian media regarding the controversies over the rewording of some of Roald Dahl’s books. I see since then there has been similar issues reported regarding Enid Blyton and Ian Fleming. While I am on the record for saying the changes to Road Dahl books are unnecessary, I am also strongly on the record for constantly saying let’s change the narrative and talk about today’s books for today’s diverse society.

However, it amazes me somewhat how outraged the masses can be about changing perceived “classic” books. The outcry over Dahl’s books had such an impact that the publishers have decided to continue to produce the current versions alongside the newer, edited versions.

This has struck me this week as I have learnt of the censorship and restrictions about the teaching about race, civil rights history and equity being debated in the South Carolina senate. Similar actions are already enshrined in law in other states such as Florida. ?

The amazing Rabbi Muir Muller, who I mentioned in an earlier blog in this journey, appeared before a senate hearing late last week and his testimony, “They came for the teachers first” has now gone viral. I encourage you to view this short snippet:

While you might think Australia is far removed from such issues, it is important to note that in Australia, teachers in many schools and contexts are increasingly told exactly what to teach, when to teach specific content, how to teach it and what resources they can use. Increasingly standardised education does not leave teachers much room for culturally responsive practices and adjusting for diversity and difference.

Back to the situation here. Among other restrictions, including teaching about gender and sexual identity, the legislation seeks to ban teaching about the civil rights movement using terms such as black and white or African American – say come again?!! And, as I mentioned in my last blog, allowing only approved “age and grade appropriate” texts in school libraries – a very fraught concept indeed!

This has opened a very slippery slope, with publishing companies moving to appease the legislators and government appointed text approvers. One example given in the article linked below shows three versions of the same text about Rosa Parks showing the efforts of the publisher to write a version acceptable to the powers that be.

The current version of the text reads, “In 1955, Rosa Park broke the law. In her city, the law said African Americans had to give up their seats on the bus if a white person wanted to sit down. She would not give up her seat. The police came and took her to jail.”

In an initial version produced for the reviewers the text reads, “Rosa Parks showed courage. One day she rode the bus. She was told to move to a different seat because of the color of her skin. She did not. She did what she believed was right.”

In a subsequent version it reads, “Rosa Parks showed courage. One day she rode the bus. She was told to move to a different seat. She did not. She did what she believed was right.”

The question raging through my head is, how can people be up in arms about minor changes to Dahl’s books written last century but silent, or worse still, supportive, when it comes to this?!! Yet, that is exactly what is happening here.

The sanitising of history is not just limited to changing texts. On Sunday, I paid a visit to Charleston with my hosts Gloria and George. We took a carriage ride through the streets. Our tour guide taught us a lot about the architecture of the buildings and some of the history, including that the cropping of rice from the 1720s to early 1860s made Charleston one of the richest cities in the world at the time. He did mention that this was so economically successful due to the “enslavement of people from Africa.” However, little attention was given to the fact that in nearby buildings these African people were marketed to the highest bidder, nor was there any mention of the displaced, enslaved and often massacred, First Nation peoples who first lived on the land.

Much of the talk focused on the design of housing in Charleston to best accommodate the stiflingly hot conditions. This included the narrow one-room width so windows could be open on both sides to allow for the breeze to cool the houses, and the front porches complete with doors to the street to be closed to protect decency when people were outside in “various stages of undress,” again to account for the heat. But, notably, barely a mention of the ancestors of my companions, Gloria and George, forced to work sunup to sundown in that same heat with no protection and no reward to make those homeowners among the richest people in the world at the time.

This reminded me of my recent time on country in Karta Koomba (Kings Park) with Aunty Marie Taylor and Libby Jackson-Barrett. I cannot count the number of times I have enjoyed the beauty of this park throughout my life. But, the new appreciation, respect and understanding I developed from one guided visit with these amazing local elders brought home to me the importance of truth telling and sharing the shameful side of our histories as part of who we are. Not only this, but knowing something of the history of Noongar Boodja, gives me so much more appreciation and understanding of our amazing country and the knowledgeable, resilient people who have been there for tens of thousands of years. None of the books in my own school or teaching journey told me any of these stories and you will find this is largely still the case.

What I am finding here, and I know also for many at home, is a fear of being uncomfortable or sharing uncomfortable parts of our history.?Some think that as “we didn’t do it” why should we feel guilt or pass that on to children through truthful telling of history? Instead, I think sharing our history is not about shouldering responsibility or guilt for the past but about recognising how that past has privileged many of us and that we benefit from this every day. It is about taking and sharing responsibility for the present and the future.

Moving forward should not be about being comfortable or uncomfortable with our history or negating and ignoring it. But, in recognising and accepting that much of what we take for granted is built on and is because of this history, we can find a sense of responsibility to ensure the future is one of equity and justice for all members of society.

In closing, it strikes me how important this year’s referendum on the Voice to Parliament is for Australia and our future and I can’t say it any better than 2018 Australian of the Year for Western Australia, Tracy Westerman:?

Lastly, coming back to the roots of the reason for my Churchill Fellowship, is the importance of truthful, accurate and diverse stories being shared with children. Not only that, but we adults can and should read the stories written by Aboriginal and other diverse authors. Reading literature is a powerful way to develop empathy, understanding and interpersonal skills – all much needed in this world of ours.