✊🏽 Black History Month starts Monday. But what do you REALLY know about the history of Black folk in America? It's so much more than Martin Luther King's "I had a dream" or Rosa Parks said "No."
Black History should be a part of the core curriculum in K-12 AND college!
Studying our history shouldn't be limited to the shortest month of the year. What do you REALLY know about our history?
As an 8th grade American history teacher and later when I became an American literature College Professor, I witnessed the lack of Black representation in the curriculum and the inaccuracy of the textbooks I was using in my own courses.
Last year around this time, CBS News took a look at the social studies standards in all 50 states. They uncovered:
🚫 There is no national curriculum or set of standards for teaching Black history in America.
🚫 Only a small number of states, including Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and New York, have laws requiring Black history be taught in public schools.
🚫 Seven states do not directly mention slavery in their state standards
🚫 Eight states do not mention the Civil Rights Movement.
🚫 Only two states mention white supremacy.
🚫 16 states list states' rights as a cause of the Civil War.
I started Black History & Culture Academy because I kept hearing from people that they had NEVER learned Black history. I wanted to CHANGE that.
