Texas Tribune
A promotional event for a book examining the role slavery played leading up to the Battle of the Alamo that was scheduled at the Bullock Texas State History Museum on Thursday evening was abruptly canceled three and a half hours before it was scheduled to begin.
Authors of the book, titled “Forget the Alamo,” and the publisher, Penguin Random House, say the cancellation of the event, which had 300 RSVPs, amounts to censorship from Republican elected leaders and an overreaction to the book’s examination of racism in Texas history.
“The Bullock was receiving increased pressure on social media about hosting the event, as well as to the museum’s board of directors (Gov Abbott being one of them) and decided to pull out as a co-host all together,” Penguin Random House said in a statement.
Gov. Greg Abbott and the museum have not responded to the Tribune’s requests for comment. But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick confirmed he called for the event to be canceled. Abbott, Patrick and other GOP leaders are board members of the State Preservation Board, which oversees the Bullock museum.
“As a member of the Preservation Board, I told staff to cancel this event as soon as I found out about it,” he wrote on Twitter. "This fact-free rewriting of TX history has no place @BullockMuseum.”
The museum's director responded to the firestorm in a statement Friday afternoon, but did not provide an explanation for why the event was canceled.
"The Bullock Museum's role in the Craft of Writing virtual event, originally planned with the Writers’ League of Texas around the book, Forget the Alamo was primarily that of co-host," said Margaret Koch, the Bullock Museum director.
A promotional event for a book examining the role slavery played leading up to the Battle of the Alamo that was scheduled at the Bullock Texas State History Museum on Thursday evening was abruptly canceled three and a half hours before it was scheduled to begin.
Authors of the book, titled “Forget the Alamo,” and the publisher, Penguin Random House, say the cancellation of the event, which had 300 RSVPs, amounts to censorship from Republican elected leaders and an overreaction to the book’s examination of racism in Texas history.
“The Bullock was receiving increased pressure on social media about hosting the event, as well as to the museum’s board of directors (Gov Abbott being one of them) and decided to pull out as a co-host all together,” Penguin Random House said in a statement.
Gov. Greg Abbott and the museum have not responded to the Tribune’s requests for comment. But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick confirmed he called for the event to be canceled. Abbott, Patrick and other GOP leaders are board members of the State Preservation Board, which oversees the Bullock museum.
“As a member of the Preservation Board, I told staff to cancel this event as soon as I found out about it,” he wrote on Twitter. "This fact-free rewriting of TX history has no place @BullockMuseum.”
The museum's director responded to the firestorm in a statement Friday afternoon, but did not provide an explanation for why the event was canceled.
"The Bullock Museum's role in the Craft of Writing virtual event, originally planned with the Writers’ League of Texas around the book, Forget the Alamo was primarily that of co-host," said Margaret Koch, the Bullock Museum director.
"Although the Bullock withdrew from the event and notified the 198 pre-registered participants, the Writers’ League of Texas was prepared to continue the event on their own platform and gave the book's authors the opportunity to do so. The authors declined to continue, and because they did so, the Writers’ League of Texas cancelled the event."
The cancellation comes amid a statewide and national firestorm surrounding critical race theory and how citizens should understand, teach and learn how racism has shaped American history. Abbott and other GOP state officials have pushed back against emphasizing the role of race in schools.
At issue is the book’s challenge of traditional historical tenets surrounding the Battle for the Alamo, Texas’ independence from Mexico and its origins related to preserving slavery.
“Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos–Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels–scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico’s push to abolish slavery papered over,” reads a description of the book by its publisher. “As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness.”
Chris Tomlinson, one of the book’s three authors, shot back on Twitter.
“Lt. Gov, Dan Patrick takes credit for oppressing free speech and policing thought in Texas,” he wrote. “@BullockMuseum proves it is a propaganda outlet. As for his fact-free comment, well, a dozen people professional historians disagree.”
The cancellation comes amid a statewide and national firestorm surrounding critical race theory and how citizens should understand, teach and learn how racism has shaped American history. Abbott and other GOP state officials have pushed back against emphasizing the role of race in schools.
At issue is the book’s challenge of traditional historical tenets surrounding the Battle for the Alamo, Texas’ independence from Mexico and its origins related to preserving slavery.
“Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos–Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels–scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico’s push to abolish slavery papered over,” reads a description of the book by its publisher. “As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness.”
Chris Tomlinson, one of the book’s three authors, shot back on Twitter.
“Lt. Gov, Dan Patrick takes credit for oppressing free speech and policing thought in Texas,” he wrote. “@BullockMuseum proves it is a propaganda outlet. As for his fact-free comment, well, a dozen people professional historians disagree.”
To read rest of story, click on link: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/01/texas-forget-the-alamo-book-event-canceled/
6 comments:
Republican Gov. Abbott has been a disaster. Now he kisses Trump's ass and is moving farther to the right as he seeks reelection next year. Funds $250 million for Border Wall he took from federal monies given to Texas by Democrat Joe Biden's administration.
Republican Dan Patrick (real name is Dan Goeb) is a former lounge owner from Houston.
These are your leaders?
ha ha ha ha
This is the first step: no freedom of speech.
Mexicans: we just work to pay the bills and we forget about history.
@8:10 Este Biden wrinkle ass kisser pendejo must be living under a fuking rock! I bet you are enjoying the high gas and food prices! Este ojete can't see the disaster Joe "Flash Cards" Biden has brought to the United States! Hahahahaha!
Just remember that the Navarro's and Seguin's, among other prominent Texans, were also slave owners.
This speaks to the complex nature of global slavery in the 19th century that the 21st century evaluates solely from a current perspective.
Filemon Vela attended St.Joseph's so he wouldn't have to go to school with all the dark meat valley residents.
Unmitigated horse shit! In 1835 Santa Anna abrogated the Mexican Constitution and assumed doctorial powers. Fourteen Mexican states were in open rebellion and three new republics were formed Republic of the Rio Grande, Republic of Yucatan and Republic of Texas.
Santa Ann and his troops crushed the first two pretty quickly and then went to Texas, where they bit off more than they could chew. The flag that flew over the Alamo was the Mexican tri-color with 1821 emblazoned across it. This was for the Mexican Constitution of 1821.
The Republic of Texas was formed over slavery? What revisionist left wing crapola. It should be noted that Santa Anna would not allow slaves NOR would he allow freed blacks to live in Mexico. Now peons bound to the land were OK.
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