I don’t like black history month!
I think the original intent of it was great, but when delve into the idea of what it means and how it is celebrated, I am bothered by it. While we are at it, I don’t like Asian American month or Native American history month.
There are two very big reasons.
- Isn’t it just history? Why do we have to qualify it with saying – black history or Asian history. Their history is our history. It always has been. It is simply that is has been ignored so long.
- Many teachers and society in general confine black history to Black History month. This is detrimental to your students if you find you have a large percentage of black students in your class. Black history should be taught throughout the year.
Two books that I love that teach about black history or highlight a black character are:
- Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt -This book tells the story about a young girl escaping on the Underground Railroad through the Underground Railroad.
- Amazing Grace – This book tells the story of a young girl who is told by a classmate that she can’t play Peter Pan in an upcoming school play and how she deals with it.
Around the World Learning 