This time of year, I tell students that Black History Month is a special time for celebration and reflection, but conversations about the role people of color have played in American history need to be ongoing all year.
These conversations are important for students of color, and they’re just as important for white students. I often think about “windows” and “mirrors.” Every student should have many opportunities to see their experience mirrored back to them, and we as educators should also guide students to look through “windows” and see the experiences of people who are different from them.
Making black history part of the year-long conversation doesn’t need to be complicated. It can start small. For example, I visit a lot of schools, and I often see posters featuring Albert Einstein. What might our schools look like if we also included other geniuses – geniuses who come from a range of backgrounds?
I want to hear how you celebrate our country’s diversity in your teaching all year long. Maybe you make sure the posters in your school are representative of many backgrounds and cultures. Maybe you feature books or articles by writers of color or highlight the contributions of people of color to the field you teach. Whatever it is, I’d love to know.
Opportunities to make our teaching more inclusive present themselves to us every day. No matter what our discipline is, we can go just a couple of steps beyond the textbook in front of us and think: “What perspectives have people of color articulated about this? What were their contributions?”
If we can make sure we’re holding up windows and mirrors in our teaching, all year long, we’ll go a long way toward making sure our students always feel represented and inspired.
Thanks for taking the time to read and to share your practice.
[…] have demonstrated against the deep, institutionalized brutality and oppression they have faced. Teaching true historyis also a way to combat notions of white supremacy and will also serve to confront white privilege […]