The Black history knowledge gap is widening – and GOP politicians are making it worse

Andra Day performs ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ prior to Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, 2024. Perry Knotts/Getty Image by Paul Ringel, High Point University On the day of the Super Bowl, Matt Gaetz, a Republican member of Congress from Florida, publicly announced that he would not watch one of the most popular sporting events in America. The reason for his boycott? “They’re desecrating America’s national anthem by playing something called the ‘Black national anthem,’” Gaetz explained. The song he criticized is “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which was written by James Weldon Johnson and his brother Rosamond Johnson in 1903. For more than a century, this hymn has celebrated the faith, persistence and hope of Black Americans. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was sung at the Super Bowl by Andra Day, after Reba McEntire sang the national anthem. Whether or not Gaetz’s racist antic was the result of ignorance about the song’s legacy, it is clear that there is a knowledge gap between Black and White students on our nation’s racial history. This gap makes it vital to teach high school and college students more African American history, not less, as Republicans have mandated in many states, including...