@DrLaGarrettKing In response to the senseless murders of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, Dominque Clayton and many others throughout history, The CARTER Center for K-12 Black History Education stands by the many protesters and revolutionaries fighting to reconstruct U.S. systems that continue to dehumanizing Black people.
As an educational center dedicated to improving K-12 Black history education, we understand how anti-Blackness is conveyed in K-12 history curriculum. We believe, as our namesake, Carter G. Woodson, and many others, that anti-Black violence begins in the classroom with the official K-12 history curriculum that rarely recognizes Black people’s full humanity. Black history is largely Whitewashed and topics are selected not to offend White people’s sensibilities. In other words, the Black history that is taught largely in U.S. schools, is not a Black history that requires critical thought and reflection but a history that is simply White history in Black face.
We advocate, as one part of the solution, mandating Black history courses for every K-12 school district in the nation. To do this, however, requires a total reconstruction of the history curriculum and how we define Black history. We need to break from the axiom that “ Black history is U.S history.” While we understand the sentiment, Black history is not U.S. history as it is currently constructed. Black history has its perspectives, own entry points, time lines, and historical people. For instance, 1776 means nothing historically to Black people. Black history does not begin with enslavement and who White America may find important within Black history, Black people understand these people differently and have their own set of important historical figures. In other words, what is historically important to White people, may not be historically important to Black people.
Last year, Dr. LaGarrett King, the founding director of the CARTER Center, has developed Black history themes to hopefully set a new course in developing Black history programs around the country. These Black history themes include teaching about: Systemic racism, oppression, and power, Black agency, perseverance, and resistance, Africa and the African Diaspora, Black joy and love, and Black intersectional identities. We propose that these five themes are interconnected and should be linked throughout historical time periods.
Therefore, we are committed to continue to provide educational services to help alleviate anti Blackness. These include:
• Providing research on the state of Black history education around the country.
• Providing professional development for k-12 teachers. Our largest PD opportunity is our Teaching Black History Conference held in July every year. This year’s conference is online. You can register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-teaching-blackhistory-conference-tickets-85258686025.
• Developing Black history networks around the country.
• Advocating mandating Black history and ethnic studies courses around the country.
• Expanding our CARTER Classrooms, which focuses on teaching k-12 students’ Black history.
In Solidarity, LaGarrett J. King, Founding Director of the CARTER Center for K-12 Black history education
Ashley N. Woodson, Associate Director of the CARTER Center for K-12 Black history education
Bio
LaGarrett J. King is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin after an eight year teaching career in Georgia and Texas. His primary research interest examines how Black history is interpreted and taught in schools and society. He also researches critical theories of race, teacher education, and curriculum history.
Dr. King has received two early career scholar awards for the Critical Issues in Curriculum and Cultural studies special interest group of the American Educational Research Association and the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies. He has also been published in scholarly journals such as Theory and Research in Social Education, Race, Ethnicity, and Education, Journal of Negro History, and Teaching Education.
Click here to download the official letter
As an educational center dedicated to improving K-12 Black history education, we understand how anti-Blackness is conveyed in K-12 history curriculum. We believe, as our namesake, Carter G. Woodson, and many others, that anti-Black violence begins in the classroom with the official K-12 history curriculum that rarely recognizes Black people’s full humanity. Black history is largely Whitewashed and topics are selected not to offend White people’s sensibilities. In other words, the Black history that is taught largely in U.S. schools, is not a Black history that requires critical thought and reflection but a history that is simply White history in Black face.
We advocate, as one part of the solution, mandating Black history courses for every K-12 school district in the nation. To do this, however, requires a total reconstruction of the history curriculum and how we define Black history. We need to break from the axiom that “ Black history is U.S history.” While we understand the sentiment, Black history is not U.S. history as it is currently constructed. Black history has its perspectives, own entry points, time lines, and historical people. For instance, 1776 means nothing historically to Black people. Black history does not begin with enslavement and who White America may find important within Black history, Black people understand these people differently and have their own set of important historical figures. In other words, what is historically important to White people, may not be historically important to Black people.
Last year, Dr. LaGarrett King, the founding director of the CARTER Center, has developed Black history themes to hopefully set a new course in developing Black history programs around the country. These Black history themes include teaching about: Systemic racism, oppression, and power, Black agency, perseverance, and resistance, Africa and the African Diaspora, Black joy and love, and Black intersectional identities. We propose that these five themes are interconnected and should be linked throughout historical time periods.
Therefore, we are committed to continue to provide educational services to help alleviate anti Blackness. These include:
• Providing research on the state of Black history education around the country.
• Providing professional development for k-12 teachers. Our largest PD opportunity is our Teaching Black History Conference held in July every year. This year’s conference is online. You can register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-teaching-blackhistory-conference-tickets-85258686025.
• Developing Black history networks around the country.
• Advocating mandating Black history and ethnic studies courses around the country.
• Expanding our CARTER Classrooms, which focuses on teaching k-12 students’ Black history.
In Solidarity, LaGarrett J. King, Founding Director of the CARTER Center for K-12 Black history education
Ashley N. Woodson, Associate Director of the CARTER Center for K-12 Black history education
Bio
LaGarrett J. King is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin after an eight year teaching career in Georgia and Texas. His primary research interest examines how Black history is interpreted and taught in schools and society. He also researches critical theories of race, teacher education, and curriculum history.
Dr. King has received two early career scholar awards for the Critical Issues in Curriculum and Cultural studies special interest group of the American Educational Research Association and the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies. He has also been published in scholarly journals such as Theory and Research in Social Education, Race, Ethnicity, and Education, Journal of Negro History, and Teaching Education.
Click here to download the official letter
| in-response-to-the-senseless-murders-of-george-floyd.pdf |