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Showing posts from February, 2020

Teaching Black History

Students visit the Harriet Tubman statue outside the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY Themed history months are a mixed bag.  In an ideal world we’d all be teaching a diverse and balanced human history and there would be no need to focus on a particular race, culture, or gender for one month out of 12.  That said, the reality of our country and our classrooms is not ideal, so themed history months remind everyone to dig a little deeper and go beyond the white, male, colonist worldview perspective.  When done right, Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the positive contributions and accomplishments that black people have made in the United States and throughout the world.   When we teach black history to children we should start with icons who have positively shaped our culture.  It is easy to focus on civil rights leaders, and they are obviously important, but young children also need to see the faces of black poets, musicians, scientists, doctors,