To most people, history is thought of as a relatively clear-cut subject; either an event happened or it didn't, and historical evidence is used to figure these things out. However, most people do not think of the role race plays in documenting historical events, and how it can significantly affect the accuracy of the information presented.
It is no secret that caucasian European males have been the predominant leaders throughout history, and have always seen themselves as superior and more advanced than other foreign (and non-white) peoples. As a result, over the course of time, they have re-written parts of history in order to provide some sort of proof that they are the superior race, and completely invalidate the achievements of POC.This whitewashing of history has been happening since the writing of the Bible, and has contributed to the white supremacist mindset.
As previously mentioned, this trend has been occurring since the creation of Jesus Christ and the writing of the Bible. Although there is no passage in the Bible which states a specific race for Jesus, people throughout history have been depicting Jesus as a white male. One of the first depictions of Jesus in this fashion, coming from the sixth century and known as the Pantokrator, came only after the creation of the Early Christian Church, which was one of the first widespread forms of Christianity. Scholars believe that the religion’s far-reaching tendencies was one of the reasons why Jesus began to be depicted as caucasian; more people (mainly Europeans) were able to have access to this religion, so they began interpreting it in a way that they felt most comfortable with. Considering many factors, including the fact that Jesus lived in the Middle East, it is no question that he was a dark-skinned man.
As a lover of history for almost all of my life, I am revolted by this trend that not only invalidates the legitimacy of POC and their accomplishments but further reinforces the disgustingly prevalent mindset that the white European is the superior race. During a period in time in which an overwhelming amount of POC are being undermined, violated , and systematically murdered in cold blood by the powers supposed to protect them, it is important to inform people of this trend and advocate for the end of it. This way, we can be one step closer to ending (or at least majorly mitigating) white supremacy and actually treating every person of every race with equal respect.
