Oklahoma is following in Florida's footsteps, becoming the second state in the nation to allow videos from conservative education platform PragerU to be shown in public schools.
Ryan Walters, the state superintendent of public instruction, announced the controversial partnership with the conservative outlet in a statement Tuesday. The platform has become popular among Republicans in recent years for offering a "free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology."
Prager University Foundation, or PragerU, produces videos on various political and historical topics for millions of viewers. In its own words, PragerU is "not an accredited university." The outlet's catalog presents a staunchly right-wing perspective, with titles like "The Inconvenient Truth About the Democratic Party" and "The Left Wants to Keep Racism Alive." Other videos include “Is Islam a Religion of Peace?” and “Make Men Masculine Again.”
When discussing the African American experience, PragerU videos tend to shift blame onto Black communities themselves. "The Top 5 Issues Facing Black Americans," for example, starts with Taleeb Starkes asserting that "too many" Black Americans see themselves as victims, and "their victim status becomes their primary identity and their ruling ideology." PragerU has even adapted its victim-blaming lessons for young audiences, with PragerU Kids videos like "How To be a Victor & Not a Victim."
Other videos, like "A Short History of Slavery," attempt to gloss over the causes and effects of slavery in the United States. Candace Owens tells PragerU viewers that white people didn't invent slavery, but they should be credited for "stopping" it in the west. The video is not so much a retelling of history as it is an attempt to relieve the United States and England of a uniquely brutal past.