Abstract
Recent debates over critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives reflect long-standing differences among Americans. Some of these differences derive from the development of a distinct African American identity, an identity that is fundamentally tied to historical narratives passed down through families and the wider communities in which families associate. Historical narratives shape one’s understanding of America and one’s place in the republic, and the differing family memories and narratives passed down among white and black Americans manifest themselves in different perceptions of the political community in which all live. American history is not just what gets taught in the classroom—it is family memory and collective interpretations of that experience. Accordingly, civic education that cannot speak to and make sense of the variety in kinds of American memory, not only at the individual level but also at the group level, risks turning American identity into an imposition rather than a unifying force in contemporary civic life. The task of this paper is to make sense of African American identity as a distinct American ethnicity, then to integrate discussion of this identity into a wider conversation about navigating the claims that political and ethnic identities make on the human heart. The work of W. E. B. Du Bois and philosopher Jorge Gracia helps us to make sense rationally of African American identity in the republic, but it is the work of Thomas Aquinas on order of love that helps us to navigate our way through our present difficulties.