Black history is American history, all year long, not just in February. That being said, the textbooks and curriculum most often used in the US still minimizes the contributions of Black people with respect to scientists, educators, inventors, writers, and others. As Sachel Harris wrote in February of 2020, “With 80% of teachers being white and 40% of all public schools not having a single teacher of color, Black students across the country are being robbed of the opportunity to see themselves in what they’re studying” (https://tntp.org/blog/post/black-history-is-american-history-we-should-teach-it-that-way).
This February I am committed to being more intentional about incorporating Black history into my teaching (and into my own daily life, to know more as a human and to teach my children). To give me some much needed structure, I am going to use the prompts provided by Rachel Cargle on her Facebook page and website, which she has given permission for public sharing and use. You can access it here: https://www.patreon.com/m/thegreatunlearn I am sure I will not have the mental bandwidth or time to post here every day, but I hope to share in shorter form on social media and write longer posts here with information about what I have learned and how I have shared it with others.
I also found this helpful, the history of Black History Month, from O, The Oprah Magazine: https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a26077992/why-is-black-history-month-in-february/
And now, off to learn about the Middle Passage and Port Makers Project.
Teaching (toward) Beloved 