Presidents’ Day gets packaged as “celebrate great leaders,” but the way it’s commonly taught is basically nation-branding: hero worship, sanitized harm, and “respect power don’t question it.” In this mini episode, we flip the script with a decolonized, equity lens asking who benefited, who was harmed, and who resisted.
We also shout out the students walking out and organizing right now because that is civic education in real time. And yes, my kids are heading to a student-led “ICE Out” protest and I’m proud as hell.
Why Presidents’ Day is often propaganda (and how it shows up in “cute” school activities)
Myth-making vs critical history: admire power vs analyze power
How to do a quick Power Audit of any president (who benefited / who paid)
Why student walkouts are democracy with teeth (and why the “they don’t even know” crowd is projecting)
A simple way to teach civics that includes outcomes, not just names and dates.
“Presidents’ Day isn’t neutral. It teaches kids to respect power not question it. We’re not doing that over here.”
If your kids are questioning, organizing, walking out, speaking up celebrate that. That’s the point. That’s the future acting like the future.
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