A New Egyptian History Initiative Gets Embalmed & Wrapped for Burial By a Local School Board.9/14/2020  In what many supporters of "The 2630 B.C." project compare to a Medjay's dagger to the heart, opponents view as a victory for ancient Egyptian history. On Monday, the Pinewood school board voted—in a contentious split decision—to not move forward with "The 2630 B.C. Project" as a world history curriculum for this calendar year. "History is written by the victors", said Kathy Ottoman, one of the disappointed parents who attended the school board meeting via Zoom. "So, we will continue to peddle lies and misinformation as a means by which we seek to preserve the reputation of the Ancient Egyptian dynasty which plagued the earth with 30 centuries of slavery, barbarianism, and brutality." The curriculum in question is called, "The 2630 B.C. Project", which is aimed at reframing Egypt's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Jewish people at the very center of the world's narrative on the history of Egypt. Based on the recent adoption, by the Pinewood School Board, of "The 1619 Project" (which will be taught alongside many other social-justice initiatives) many proponents of the Egyptian history initiative assumed it would have been an easy victory. They found out Monday, their assumptions were wrong. We spoke to Tim Dyke, one of the school board members who voted against adopting the new curriculum, and asked why he opposed the change. "Listen, we take our student's education seriously. Nothing is more important to parents than ensuring their children will be safe and are being taught things that are not only true but are also free from bias, manipulation, or political agendas." And that is how many people view "The 2630 B.C. Project". They see it as 'revisionist' in nature as well as an effort to manipulate sentiments about the history of slavery throughout the world. Jake Silverman, a concerned parent who opposed the curriculum change said, "Ancient Egyptian history has been vetted and taught for centuries. Who do these people think they are to come in and reshape that which has been widely embraced and accepted as historically accurate for generations? The audacity and arrogance of these people is really quite alarming." When pressed on how "The 2630 B.C. Project"--which was denied by the school board—differs from the "The 1619 Project"—which was unanimously embraced—Dyke answered, "The differences, though seemingly minor, are significant. First of all this is America and becasue it's a free country, we are able to take a certain amount of liberty when it comes to our own history. We own it! But what we can't do is go around and change another country's history. That's just wrong! We wouldn't change The People's Republic of China's history or Cuban history, those aren't our stories to tell. So, how is Egypt any different? Also, and I think this further proves my point, public opinion towards America's 'Greatness' has changed drastically in the last four years, and I think we all know why. We are seizing on an opportunity to teach our students that America can't be great again because it was never great in the first place. And why wasn't it great? Because it was built on a foundation of irreparable systemic racism. This system can't be redeemed! It must be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up." I guess it's safe to say, this isn't your grandpa's America anymore. It belongs to a new generation of people who desire to be on a different side of history than their forefathers were.
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