First published 2025
American education stands accused of being "the great equalizer," but Jarvis R. Givens dismantles this myth through rigorous historical analysis. The Harvard professor demonstrates how Black and Indigenous exploitation formed the foundation of American schooling from its origins. Givens reveals the financial connections between slavery profits and white student classrooms, shows how the War Department funded Native boarding schools, and exposes how curriculum deliberately taught antiblack and anti-Native ideologies. His research proves that educational experiences across racial lines were never separate but interconnected within a system designed for white advantage. Drawing from both personal experience and academic expertise in Educational History and African American Studies, Givens reframes current educational battles not as mere culture wars but as structural conflicts rooted in centuries-old patterns. The book offers readers honest language and historical context for understanding present inequities, providing tools for those working toward genuine educational equality for all communities.
Genres: history, african-american, education, non-fiction, social-justice, american-history
Vibes: critical, illuminating, rigorous, thought-provoking, urgent
Tropes: historical-analysis, myth-debunking, systemic-critique
Setting: United States, Harvard
Period: 19th century, 20th century, 21st century
464 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: colonialism, racism, slavery