Museums, libraries, and bookstores across America have reopened after a year of lockdown. The Juneteenth holiday coincided with the one-year anniversary and the start of the cultural awakenings against racism. Many bookstores are putting on displays of books for children that celebrate Black history as they reopen. You won't find the story of the early, dark-skinned people who established human civilization in any of the largest collections of books.Global scientific consensus accepts that all human beings are African-American. The majority of scientific articles on our African heritage focus on genetics. It is the creation of human culture that is the most overlooked part of this story. All of us are genetically and culturally descended from dark-skinned ancestors. The African continent's early humans are those who invented tools, language, religion, and the use of fire. These early humans, who were dark-skinned, laid the foundation for human culture. Given the relatively short lives of our early ancestors these innovators were likely also young. Anyone who is interested in artistic trends will not be surprised to hear that human culture was invented essentially by teenagers from the beginning. Culture does not just refer to the arts; it encompasses the entire shebang.I want to expose the myth that evolution denial is about religion. It is actually a form white supremacy that perpetuates violence against Black bodies and segregation. The legalistic wing that supports creationism insists on their view being heard in the classroom, even though it is claiming religious freedom. The United States is always on the defensive against anti-evolutionist activists who want to teach biblical stories as fact. The Klan supported the initial wave of legal battles against evolution in the 1920s. Since then, entrenched racism has been inseparable from the ban on schools teaching evolution. Adam Shapiro's piece, "What We Get Wrong about the Evolution Debate", argues that American history has been intertwined with American educational racism.White evangelical creationism centers on the mythology that unbroken white lines run back to Adam and Eve, a light-skinned Adam. According to literal Christian Bible interpretations, white skin was created by God. Dark skin is more complicated and has a different origin. According to the Bible, Cain's curse or mark for killing his brother resulted in darkening his descendants' skin. Many congregations in the U.S. used this Cain story as evidence that Black skin was a punishment.This fantasy of a line of white descendants is a way to segregate Black heritage from white bodies. This mythology has deadly consequences for Black people in the real world. The fake news epidemic that fuels the racial division in America is part of fundamentalist interpretations of Scripture.A vocal minority of creationists have hijacked the education of children, book publishing, and media for too long. The statistics on the beliefs of creationists in the US are varied. According to the poll, 40% of Americans believe humans have existed in their current form since infancy (i.e. they believe in an unbroken human family that goes back to Adam and Eve).There has been some improvement in the classroom. The percentage of teachers who present evolutionary ideas without any creationist alternative has risen dramatically from 51 percent to 67% between 2007 and 2019. It is still not enough. I believe that if we can make the connection between racism and creationism more clear, science will be easier to integrate into classrooms and culture.It is well-known that many school boards in the South have worked hard to keep evolution from school textbooks. You might not be aware of how the policing and monitoring of educational content can lead to what could be called self-censorship in the entire children's book industry. The scientific findings regarding human origins have not been able to filter down to books for children. This is a major oversight that reflects the enormous influence that science-denying voices have not only on books that make their way into classrooms but also into libraries and bookstores as well as children's homes. Fear of being punished economically within the publishing industry leads to a self-perpetuating shortage of teaching materials on evolution.You will find approximately 1015 titles if you search Amazon for children's books about evolution. This contrasts with the many children's books that are available on scientific subjects like astronomy, chemistry, and other less controversial topics. Grandmother Fish, a book about evolution that I found for preschoolers was the only one. The book was self-funded by Kickstarter.Amazon has hundreds of books for children that are focused on biblical origin stories. Scientist deniers are investing money in a well-funded antievolutionist machine. Creationists created their own amusement park and museum based on the Bible in 2007. They know that music, celebration and colorful characters are essential to reaching young children.The Adam-and Eve scenario shows that the Creator gives both cultural and physical humanity to the first people. Adam is able to identify the animals from the beginning. It is not necessary to create language or make tools. Science tells us the opposite. Natural selection has shaped our bodies, and capabilities. As creative ancient people discovered the essential skills-from storytelling to cooking and rope making-that made humanity human, we now take these skills for granted.Yet, in all the literature we have about human origins, the final point of evolution is often shown as a white man with a spear. This image does not just erase our African heritage, but also omits children and women. We need to tell the story of evolution in many different ways and by many different voices, because it is fundamental knowledge.Let's make sure that science education is not left behind as we work to eradicate systemic racism in all aspects of society, business, academia, and life. To change our relationship with the past and create racial equity for the future, it is important to embrace humanity's dark-skinned ancestrals with love and respect. These ancient people helped make the rest possible. Part of the healing process from racism is opening our hearts to them, and accepting them as heroes, fully human, and deserving of our respect.This article is an opinion/analysis article. Scientific American does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in it.
