Spreading Awareness about Black History

I love teaching! I love engagement in learning. Give me an opportunity, and I will churn out something educational. Especially, monumental education, to win hearts and minds, and to broaden learner's scope about their world.

So, in honor of Black History Month, I always find a way to spread awareness about the contributions of people of African descent to the United States, and the world! I particularly love expanding people's knowledge about black history, starting at the foundation of learning - nurturing young minds. Introducing subjects about diversity to young people who do not have much exposure to a diversity way of learning in their schooling or general lives.

So, every Black History Month, for the last four years, I reach out to schools to engage their learners about notable black personalities. I want children to learn that black people have created more than to our world than perhaps they see on TV, on social media or public life. I have been doing this with my son's school the last couple of years. Each time, I find out, their knowledge of black history is predominantly from pop culture, and sports, with sporadic mention of significant civil rights leaders. In fact, I learn more about the "latest black rappers" from this predominantly white group than I know, as a black person.

Their knowledge of black intellectuals, moguls, billionaires, inventors, scientists, politicians, diplomats, business entrepreneurs is barely there. So, that is often the subject of my lessons, "Pioneer Black Scientists and Inventors." Truth be told, it is not just white kids that need an education on Black History. Black, Latino, Asian kids who go to the US school system all need an education on Black history, because it is not taught to them in the schools. I am always shocked by how little black kids know about black history. My son is a case in point; I need provide an education beyond the flimsy, surface touch on black history that schools provide. I make it global for him, as well.

For this year at school, I introduced "Benjamin Banneker," a pioneer black scientist and inventor. A self-taught maker and encyclopedia of all things, Banneker invented the first clock in America at the age of twenty-two, reproduced from memory the maps that laid out our nation's capital, built a wheat milling machine, wrote and published an almanac for over 10 years. This, for a child who only started going to school at 12 years of age, and only seasonally. This from a man taught to read from the Bible by a white grandmother.

Anyway, you can learn more about Benjamin Banneker in the .ppt attached.

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!