Black History Reimagined: A Systematic Approach to ‘Going Back to Fetch It’ in Public Schools
I have been fascinated with learning more about the Sankofa Bird. It's a Ghanian symbol that means "go back and fetch it." The feet of the bird are facing the future, but the head of the bird is looking back to the past. This symbol demonstrates one of the ways we should move in life-we should be forward-facing yet informed by our past. That said, I've been thinking a lot about how we further marginalized the limited opportunities we have to engage our children in Black History.
Black history month is right around the corner. Schools will share stories of Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, and Jackie Robinson with children. They might do a living museum, have students make posters of famous Black Americans, or enter an essay contest stating the significance of a Black person's work on the student's life.
Inevitably, schools will teach all stories as if these few people were exceptions. The work/life of a few Americans will be taught as if they overcame circumstances and conditions that kept all others down. This is a deficit approach to teaching Black History.
No mention will be given to the greater influence of Black Americans on the American culture, and even worse, no one will challenge the scant representation of the historical contributions of Black Americans surveyed in school curriculum. Few will discuss the power of the interdependence Black people inherited from their ancestors. Or how, even though the enslaved were brought to this country with nothing, they were able to infuse their culture in EVERYTHING that "Makes America Great." No one will go in-depth about how the Black Panther Party was able to create and sustain the very breakfast program we see in our schools TODAY (because Black Panthers are "supposed" to be a bad group).
The month will end with children in the same condition in which they started the month-not having a sense of self, and not being connected to what’s encoded in their DNA. And if test scores are so important to everyone, why would we expect children that have no anchored understanding of who they are in the context of history to do well on any assessment?
We HAVE to find ways to turn the ethnic celebrations into opportunities for families to connect with their history and see it in the broader context of American history. Children need to know their own history and that they come from powerful, intelligent, and interdependent people. We need Black History programs to be a 'passing of the torch’. Children need to leave the month determined to harness their own ancestorial power. Moreover, the month-long celebration should be looked at more like a new year celebration. Children/families should view Black History Month as a jumping- off point for Black History learning that lasts the rest of the year!
There are several things schools should do to fully immerse students in the study of Black History:
- Schools should acquire a curriculum such as BH365 to ensure that it has a comprehensive understanding of Black History.
- Schools should engage families in project-based learning that gives the child a chance to explore the history of their own families. Students and family members could create mini documentaries of their family members such as their grandparents and great-grandparents. The family could write the script together, and children could voice-over the story themselves. Using software such as Canva.com will give the project a polished and professional look.
- Schools should include students in writing and directing the Black History program. Students would be excited to lend their creativity to creating such a grand celebration.
- The school should also provide families with a list of all the experiential learning opportunities in the city focused on Black History.
- At home, every family should be building family trees with their children. Some families will have to have uncomfortable conversations about family members. It’s is better if the family frames the conversation.
- EVERY child should have the responsibility of becoming a family griot-(an oral story-teller or poet who MAINTAINED the traditions of West Africa). Their burden should be to tell their family’s story. Children should know that becoming the family’s griot will not be easy, but it’s necessary, and they are needed.
To ensure that children draw what they need out of Black History celebrations and all celebrations of marginalized groups, the programming in school has to change dramatically. Education is a basic human right. No child should be denied an in-depth opportunity to learn about the contributions of marginalized groups that make America beautiful and far better. Educators have six big opportunities in the spring to completely turn the collective focus of their students’ inward then outward to Humanity: Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Black History Month, Literacy Week, Autism Month, Asian/Pacific Islander Month, and Cinco De Mayo. If we help children see themselves in these moments, they will perform better on whatever you put in front of them. Former South African President Nelson Mandela once said,
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.
Let’s do what is in the absolute best interest of our children in school. During Black History Month, let’s teach children who they are and reiterate how valuable they are. Let’s not systematically make them believe that a small fraction of Black people are an exception by only focusing on a few people’s lives and contributions. Take a vow to help children know they are the ADDITION needed in the fabric of our history! Let’s go back and fetch it!
