A Social Justice Newsletter For Educators

“We wish we didn’t need to say it, but it is very important for all educators to observe Black History Month, including non-Black educators and those teaching majority non-Black students, because they are least likely to receive this kind of content during and outside of school.” – Tweet by @consciouskidlib

It’s Black History Month!

Black History Month is celebrated in February in the United States and October in the UK. There are multiple ways to commemorate and celebrate Black achievement, excellence and joy: Read books, attend performances or workshops, hear speakers, donate to a worthy cause, volunteer your time, watch a movie or call your representative.

In all of those possibilities, seek out Black History you know and don’t know; discover names, accomplishments, events you hadn’t heard of or realized before. Be curious, adventurous and open-minded. Black History Month is short while Black History is long, varied and global. How will you tap into that richness for yourself and your students?

For beginners, investigate the history of the celebration itself. Initiated by Carter G. Woodson as Negro History Week in 1929, the active highlighting of Black American successes in the Arts, Sciences, Athletics and Humanities became a month long affair in 1976. In a helpful Twitter thread, The Conscious Kid offers nudges for teachers to take up this observance with students.

Here’s a hint: Don’t restrict yourself to February (or October)! Make Black History a matter of course in your classroom throughout the school year.

Here are some great resources for Black History Month and beyond:

• The Abolitionist Teaching Network led by Dr. Bettina Love has a series of events this month including celebrations of Black Teaching, Black Homeschooling and Black Joy.

• Black History in Two Minutes features short films that are accessible, informative and excellent points of departure for deeper study.

• Diversity practitioners, Tamisha Williams and Cheleah Googe have created a wonderful Black History Month Calendar which has activities, resources, writing and reflection prompts.

• Consider this video by a HS sophomore: “Black History Is American History”

Commemorate Black History month by following the lead of Black educators and researchers. STEM advocates, Alicia Johal and Shana V. White, have organized a Spring Symposium on Inclusive STEM and CS, for March 6th, 2021.

Plan ahead! NOW is the time to get your tickets to this excellent online event!

To close out I want to share one thing that makes me angry and one thing that recently gave me a lot of joy. Both feature Black women in the spotlight. Both count as current events. And I bring these both to your attention as news events you might not be aware of. In the month we celebrate Black History, it is also critical that we have our eyes on the Black present and consider how these contribute to Black futures.

The first is a clip from an interview with Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of The Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium in Philadelphia, who is being asked to pick up the pieces of a botched vaccine distribution in the city after a 22-year-old start-up CEO with no medical background failed to deliver on his promises. In the clip please pay attention to Dr. Stanford’s facial expression and body language. What do you notice? What do ?

Next up: feast your eyes on this outstanding floor routine by UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis who performed to a medley featuring music by Beyonce and Kendrik Lamar. Her shine is stunning!

If you’re asking yourself, ‘but how can I use these in my classroom?’ That’s not necessarily my point. In this month, as in all the other months of the year, I want to encourage all of us to become critical observers, active witnesses and engaged advocates. This is an internal/external combo! Let’s continue building our own knowledge and experience base and go from there. Your classroom practices will grow and shift as a result. Promise.