Revealing is healing Toward the development of a history education reconciliation commission

This conceptual chapter speaks to the need for racial healing in the United States. Our topic was inspired by the most recent iteration of the culture wars that have ignited politically conservative activists' attempts to ban the teaching of Black history and race in schools. A long history of culture wars in the United States has focused on history education. We believe that history education serves as the proxy for our collective identity, and subsequently how power is conceived and distributed. These culture wars are also racist and anti-Black, as the purpose is to delegitimize Black epistemologies, perspectives, and voices in favor of white supremacist-like historical narratives. Therefore, we question how we heal a nation's racial trauma, especially if the State gives the impression that we are well. Racial trauma and healing are typically not part of the civic education discourse. Silencing racial trauma is connected to the systemic erasure of critical Black histories in schools and society. Racial trauma alienates Black citizens and weakens democracies when efforts to heal are not attempted. Our solution is situated in the creation of a history education reconciliation commission that explores critical histories that challenge our understanding of the nation's history.