Theodore Francis knew when he walked into his African American History class on a Thursday in early April that things could go sideways. The Abilene Christian University associate professor presents as warm and engaging, not confrontational. But he was aware he’d taken a risk with his prepared lesson.That morning, surrounded by blank whiteboards, Francis asked students to read and discuss an executive order issued by President Donald Trump’s administration days earlier, one purporting to restore “Truth and Sanity to American History.” The order—which targets the Smithsonian Institution and other federal museums for featuring exhibits that refer to race as a social construct and promote gender inclusivity—prohibits programs that “degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans based on race.”The order struck at the core of Francis’s…
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