Review: Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies

Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies is a collection of essays co-edited by Colin Kaepernick and published through his press. This collection was very much compiled in response to the recent push back against CRT courses, as well as the atrocious state of education in Florida where Governor DeSantis and his administration have defunded college DEI departments, deemed AP African American History courses as irrelevant and unnecessary, and harmfully villainized CRT courses to the point where many people believe it it something it is not. To be clear, CRT–Critical Race Theory, is the teaching of true history, warts and all, about people from all backgrounds rather that the ultranationalist “history” of painting America as a perfect democracy of white people since its infancy.

The collection of essays pulls from works from the the mid-19th century through 2022, with works from famous names such as W.E.B. DuBois, Angela Davis, bell hooks, and many more. The relevance of the essays from 50 – 100 years ago to today is clear. While the topic and study of race has become more mainstream in recent years, there is still much work to be done.

A personal favorite of mine from this collection is “Reflections on the Black Woman’s Role in the Community of Slaves” by Angela Davis, written in 1971, which gives interesting historical background on Black women’s involvement in slave rebellions and demonstrations of activism within the social context of the time. I also found “Introduction from The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindedness” by Michelle Alexander, written in 2010, very educational in that it describes how Reagan’s “War on Drugs” began before the spread of drugs into Black neighborhoods and how it has been widely theorized that the CIA was responsible for bringing drugs into those neighborhoods to bolster the visibility and political narrative of Reagan’s “war.” Lastly, “History is a Beautiful, Ugly Story, and We Must Teach It” was written by Florida high school History teacher Marlon Williams-Clark in 2022 in response to the state’s decision to do away with the AP African American History pilot course. The title in itself encapsulates a large part of what CRT is.

I found this collection to be accessible in its language, although some of the essays may read too academic for a “lay person.” If a person would like to learn more about Black Studies, especially in the current climate of truly defending it, this collection of essays is a great starting point or primer on important writers and activists in this academic (but also life!) sphere.