PragerU and Revisionism’s Effect on Black American History

By Sam Judy, Dallas Weekly

Detractors of critical race theory have pushed for the inclusion of alternate courses, such as those provided by institutions like PragerU. With these courses offering a heavily skewed perspective of US history, the validity of Black history (and Black suffering) is again up for debate.

Last week, PragerU posted a video declaring that, “PragerU is Now in Texas!” with video endorsement from Texas State Board of Education member Julie Pickren. However, officials from the Texas Department of Education state that PragerU has not submitted materials to earn approval as an education vendor in the state. 

Despite this claim being rendered either false or premature, the nonprofit advocacy group’s inclusion in Texas’ educational spaces would not be far-fetched. As earlier this year the school board made moves to limit climate science education in the state, Texas’ education standards are subject to politicization. Much like fellow red state Florida, conservative leadership has already failed to provide a comprehensive education on the environment and has the power to make corresponding changes to the field of history, as well.

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PragerU’s content has been called right-wing propaganda and its founder has even admitted that the non-profit engages in indoctrination. The platform made waves during the George Floyd protests when it released a video defending Confederate General Robert E. Lee. 

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s portrayal is consistent with most whitewashed iterations: paternalistic, staunchly non-violent, and faithful to the functionality of the American system. Non-violence in the civil rights movement is reframed by PragerU as a display of higher moral standards, rather than a militant dedication to the movement. This revisionist characterization is a popular iteration of the civil rights leader, though highly problematic and inaccurate. 

Judy discusses more of the revisionism in this content.

Read about one controversial PregerU video here.

Read more stories relevant to the Black experience.