Quest 1: MythBusters—Reconstruction Truth Detective
We are just walking around brainwashed... (some of us are...)
Every week, as a part of Freedom School 2.0, we will release immersive quests designed to integrate the learning of the chapter into your daily rituals and routines. This week’s quest is inspired by Chapter 17: The Propaganda of History. ”
Time: 45 to 60 minutes
Role: Equity Detective
Audience: Yourself
Situation: You’re the Equity Detective, but let’s be honest—before you go busting myths in your school’s textbook, you’ve got to start with yourself. What were you taught about Black people during Reconstruction? Maybe you absorbed the stories about “ignorance,” “laziness,” or “chaos” without even realizing it. Perhaps your family's jokes, the stories told at family gatherings, or even the way teachers tiptoed around the topic of race in class quietly reinforced these lies. Sometimes, those myths manifest as shame, silence, or sideways glances when the topic arises in your community.
Du Bois warns us, “With sufficient general agreement and determination among the dominant classes, the truth of history may be utterly distorted and contradicted and changed to any convenient fairy tale that the masters of men wish.” The myths we inherit aren’t just in books—they’re in our conversations, assumptions, and the stories we tell ourselves about who belongs and who doesn’t.
As the Equity Detective, your first task is to turn the magnifying glass inward and around you. Where do these myths still live—in your memories, your family, your friend group, your community spaces? What stories did you accept, repeat, or leave unchallenged? What does it take to unlearn them? You’re not just fact-checking history—you’re tracking how propaganda survives from generation to generation, and what it takes to break the cycle, starting with you.
Product: Use Canva and Google Slides to create a split-screen collage. On one side, represent the myths you were taught (images, headlines, phrases, even old textbook scans). On the other hand, show your new understanding—photos, quotes from Du Bois, artwork, even selfies, or personal reflections. Use color, texture, or symbols to show the emotional journey. You can share in a post or not! :)