“Knowledge is power. The real test of knowledge is not whether it is true but whether it empowers us.”
Francis Bacon.
“May we embrace knowledge that not only empowers but also renders dignity, honor and respect to all of humanity.”
Chiquita Toure
Historically, the black community and the United States of America has had a strained relationship. Some may wonder “How can this be? Aren’t black folks Americans too?” And the answer is a resounding yes. However, there has long existed this double life for most of the black community; accessing the rights , privileges and responsibilities of living in this country, yet at times wearing a cloak of fear and apprehension birthed by racism. We can declare with confidence that the legacy of slavery is its genesis. For even after the Emancipation Proclamation and Order #3, which two years later granted liberation to Africans in Texas, African Americans continued to experience systemic racism. These post slavery experiences caused displacement, disenfranchisement and devastation. Distrust of American government was not just tethered to the emotions of the black community; it was grounded in reliable information unearthed by ethical researchers and truth seekers.
Black people have consistently endured concrete, not perceived hardships for decades caused by inequitable systems. Dissemination of information and an examination of its sources became critical tools to make life decisions for the black community. Education, employment, housing, and access to healthcare are often determined by the information that the black community receives. However, public schools have not always been strategic and intentionally in teaching information literacy skills. Teaching students how to research and evaluate resources is foundational for testing lies and validating truth. Therefore this breach in trust caused by historical patterns of injustices continued to pave the way to major unbelief in anything that the government declared as “good or profitable for you”. This is especially true when it came to multi media outlets owned and operated by white power structures, the black community treaded lightly due to their own personal experiences or those suffered by family members and friends thus giving way to emerging conspiracies.
America witnessed a resurgence of conspiracy theories during the global pandemic of 2020 caused by the COVID 19. The Center for Disease Control reported that the virus disproportionately impacted black and brown communities. A study of selected states and cities with data on COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity showed that 34% of deaths were among non-Hispanic Black people, though this group accounts for only 12% of the total U.S. population. Racial and ethnic minority populations are disproportionately represented among essential workers and industries which increased their exposure. 34% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were black compared to 16% of white. Not to mention public schools across the nation were closed leaving the majority of African American children in grades PK12 staring at screens for instruction and most lacking quality instruction.
It wasn’t long before biology and chemistry researchers and virologists came together in laboratories to refine previous vaccines and prepare for vaccine distribution. However, the black community began to rekindle doubt and even fearful thoughts brought on by memories of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. The familiar story of a 1932 study conducted by the United States Public Health whereby nearly 400 black men with syphilis whose “informed consent was not collected “ and who were denied treatment in the form of penicillin once it became available. As a result, 128 men died from complications caused by syphilis and other family members became infected due to nontreatment. The unearthing of this “scientific racism” became one of the major reasons why many within the black community either questioned or denied the COVID vaccination when it became available. While scientists during the time of the Tuskegee Experiment had engaged in disinformation, being fully aware that distributing and withholding information would bring harm to those black men, misinformation within the black community had caused some to make decisions that withheld protection for them and their family members. The trauma of the past resurfaced specifically within predominantly black school districts as young people across the United States returned to school.
Stories passed down through generations about the government’s role in pseudo -science and unethical experiments was often the rebuttal whenever some black students were asked why they chose not to get vaccinated.
On the one hand, as an African American school librarian I consider myself a critical thinker who endeavors to acknowledge the systemic racism that has played a pivotal role in the sufferings of the black community. On the other hand, I fully understand that we exist in a world whereby we have access to information and must use our critical lens to make sound decisions about our future. In an ever changing world of Artificial Intelligence and social media as major sources of information, it can become increasingly difficult for our young people and even challenging to the untrained mind to confront conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation. Even when there is historical evidence of foul play, what do we do when clinging to conspiracy theory backfires? Our goal is to teach our young people how to navigate through media outlets, seek, search, read, evaluate and decide. No longer do we have to memorialize trauma and linger in lack of knowledge and understanding. We can spring forth with new information and tools that capture a better and brighter vision of a world where truth telling can be done with dignity, honor and respect are our core values.