2/26/19
Beyond Slavery and the Civil Rights Movement: Teachers Should Be Integrating Black History Into Their Lessons
Rounduptags: education, schools, African American history, Black History Month
Melinda D. Anderson is a freelance journalist reporting on race and equity in education. Follow her on Twitter @mdawriter.
This Black History Month has been packed with controversy, with scandals and headlines revolving around blackface dominating the national conversation. But some say the singular focus on blackface distracts from the larger issues — namely, how little is known about the nation’s deeply racist history, and what is — and isn’t — taught about the black American experience in the nation’s public schools.
This month, two of Virginia’s top-elected officials admitted to wearing blackfaceduring their college years. Luxury retailer Gucci pulled a black turtleneck with oversized red lips from its shelves for resembling blackface. And high school students — from Wisconsin to Alabama — came under fire for blackface incidents. The debate brought into focus blackface minstrelsy, the practice of white performers darkening their skin to caricature black people that dates back to the 19th century.
According to experts, teaching an accurate and thorough version of history is essential to breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions. Yet much of what students learn about black people’s distinct American story is hit-or-miss.
comments powered by Disqus
News
- How Tina Turner Escaped Abuse and Reclaimed her Name
- The Biden Administration Wants to Undo the Damage of Urban Highways. It Won't be Simple
- AAUP: Fight Tooth and Nail Against Florida's Higher Ed Agenda Because Your State is Next
- Texas GOP's Ten Commandments School Bill Fails
- Former Alabama Governors: We Regret Overseeing Executions
- Jeff Sharlet on the Intersectional Erotics of Fascism
- Scholars Stage Teach-in on Racism in DeSantis's Back Yard
- Paul Watanabe, Historian and Manzanar Survivor, Makes Sure History Isn't Forgotten
- Massachusetts-Based Historians: Book Bans in Florida Affect Us, Too
- Deborah Lipstadt's Work Abroad as Antisemitism Envoy Complicated by Definitional Dispute