MLK and Black History Month… Are You Ready? at Anti-Racist Parent - for parents committed to raising children with an anti-racist outlook

MLK and Black History Month… Are You Ready?

by Anti-Racist Parent columnist Sue Lyons-Joell

As I’m writing this, MLK Day is approaching, and once again I brace myself for the onslaught that is Black History Month (BHM). Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, I think the idea is fabulous – the Eurocentric story of the “founding” of the USA has warped the minds and belief systems of 7+ generations. But it’s the implementation in our schools, in our PSAs, in our media coverage, that is absolutely embarrassing.

Judging from some recent comments to posts at Racialicious and Rachel’s Tavern, the same old arguments against BHM are alive and well: Why isn’t there a white history/white pride month? What about the other minorities? Who’s had it better/worse in the US? Why haven’t African-Americans “advanced” more? And so on and so on. I’m tired of defending the month, because my ambivalence is in the other camp. If you can’t do something well, don’t do it at all. And I suspect that in many schools and other educational avenues in this country, we’re going about this the wrong way.

When I was in school in the 80s, there were the usual nominal efforts to do black history-related assignments in the long stretch between New Years and Lent. I wasn’t the only kid of African-American descent in the grade, but I was the only one in my classes. I remember that a teacher’s eyes would occasionally creep over to me when a historical tidbit was given out. I’m still not sure what that look meant: possibly, “See, did you catch that? That was for you. You’re special.” Or maybe it was supposed to mean, “Wait, did I say that right? Does your “race memory” agree?”

The ridiculous nature of the English assignments sticks with me too (for some reason BHM derailed the English curriculum, but not History). There was a fifth-grade assignment to write journal entries in the first-person voice, essentially proving that we read whatever Afro-centric book we’d chosen. The book I chose was a biography of someone who was a child after Emancipation and had no formal education until adulthood. I have no idea who at this point; that descriptor fits too many people that we hear about in February.

Anyway, I remember being bored witless, and writing, with not a trace of irony, a journal entry that essentially said, “I wish I could learn to read.” The teacher gave me an A. I felt like a fraud. Of course the next year I passed off The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman as a non-fiction book report. In my own defense, I didn’t realize it was fiction until I finished the book. The English teacher didn’t notice at all. Another fraud, another A.

Now I’m leaping ahead to placing my own daughter in school (what, 6 years from now?), and I have no idea how the local district, or the parochial school (if we have the cash), handles this time of year. Ideally, the histories (plural!) of all ethnic groups in the US would be told simultaneously. We all would hear multiple perspectives on our airwaves on a regular basis. No one would even NEED a special month. Students would work to integrate the whole, without demonizing all European-Americans or any other group. The realist in me says that with standardized testing, 45-minute class periods, and science teachers moonlighting in English and history due to budget cuts, getting the bare bones of the facts out there and hoping they stick is sometimes the best they can do.

So I ask the parents of school-age children out there: What are your schools like around this time? Are your kids as bored and confused as I was? What’s the best way you’ve heard of a school handling BHM or just “diversity” in general? What’s the worst? Have you felt the need to supplement at home? How do we engage our kids without giving them more dreaded “homework” to do?

Sue Lyons-Joell is a wetlands scientist near Philadelphia, PA. Also known as Lyonside, she has been active in various multiethnic groups and online forums since college. She’s more of a blogging fan than an actual blogger. Sue and her husband are expecting their first child in February 2007.

Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Trackbacks & Pings

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast on 11 Jan 2007 at 4:12 pm

SITBB Vault: What Dr. King had in Mind…

One of my favorite Photo Essays from this blog! Since I originally posted this pic, my girls’ doll and stuffed creature collection has grown at least five-fold. The most exciting (for me) additions have been their Addy dolls. I……
In case you missed it… at Addicted to Race on 12 Jan 2007 at 5:26 pm

[…] MLK and Black History Month… Are You Ready? As I’m writing this, MLK Day is approaching, and once again I brace myself for the onslaught that is Black History Month (BHM). Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, I think the idea is fabulous – the Eurocentric story of the “founding” of the USA has warped the minds and belief systems of 7+ generations. But it’s the implementation in our schools, in our PSAs, in our media coverage, that is absolutely embarrassing. […]

Comments

Kari wrote:

We selected a private school for our sons that had “theme” months. Each month had a color, sport, other activity, and culture/ethnicity/race. It was a fascinating concept but I think “over-thought” a bit (just as my college alma mater’s “Third World Transition Program” actually created segregation.) Overall, I was pleased that no one cultural celebration or history was deemed “special,” because they all were!

In the end, we were asked to leave the private school because of my son’s autism. So they were “tolerant” in many ways, but not with regard to diversity in learning styles. Still, it was a shock to suddenly go into a public school where “learning about other cultures” is framed in a much different way. Ironic, since the majority of the kids in the class are “other.”

Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 1:14 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:

>Each month had a color, sport, other activity, and culture/ethnicity/race

Kari: that’s a interesting way to go about it… so long as “Yellow’ wasn’t the color during Pacific Asian month!

What happens when you run out of “groups,” or when you don’t get around to a certain group? And did the school focus only on the groups represented by the student body, or on other groups not in the school?

It’s a shame that the school couldn’t accomodate your son. You’d think that people with disabilities who are able to be integrated in a classroom would be an asset to a school like this…

Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 1:43 pm ¶
Nicole wrote:

My son’s only in preschool now, so this is just a lighthearted comment. He has this tendency to start just chanting random words or phrases over and over, and I’m not always sure either what he’s saying or where he gets it. Yesterday’s was “Marthe Luke King” - took me a few minutes to realize what he was saying. I assume they talked about him at school (they did color a picture of MLK last week), but he wouldn’t say. The schools pretty culturally diverse, and they do a lot of coloring projects and reading books around various holidays, but this is our first Feb. at the school.

Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 2:42 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:

Heh - my mom is a preschool teacher, Nicole. She’s had very diverse classrooms when she taught in one area of the city, and for the last 10 years or so, she’s been in a different area w/ nearly 100% African-American children (the occasional black/white mixed child comes in).

Her way of dealing w/ BHM is to have it year round. She has rhymes that she teaches kids and has posters, photos, and books in the library. She ramps it up a little in February, but the kids still at least recognize the names of some of the heavy hitters (MLK, Rosa Parks, Gerrett Morgan, Jackie Robinson). There’s not room for more, really, and she tries not to make race the #1 factor in the classroom, but she doesn’t hide it either. After all, for most of her current students, she’s the first white person they know on a day to day basis.

All that, and she never knows what will sink in. She made the mistake recently of saying that “MLK was shot by a (and we don’t say this word in this classroom, but we’re allowed to say it here) stupid man.” What did one of her kids repeat? MLK was a stupid man. Given, my mother corrected the kid right away, and she KNOWS the kid is only using the word because it’s “forbidden.” But she didn’t want the other kids getting the wrong message.

Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 3:34 pm ¶
Nicole wrote:

I can so see that happening. I asked him if he knew who the man was, and described him as a caring and helpful man, like grandpa, but much more important. Figure that’s a start.

I should really spend more time there, to see what they do. But even after over 6 months there my son still has some separation issues, so I’m hesitant to drop in if I can’t take him home afterwards. My dad is actually the president of the board. The place is not very organized and has pretty low parent participation, but what it has is extremely caring teachers and a great group of kids, rather than fancy toys and programs.

Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 4:59 pm ¶
Nicole wrote:

Okay, that sounded silly - I talked about the important stuff he did, not just that he was important.

Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 5:04 pm ¶
Kari wrote:

“that’s a interesting way to go about it… so long as “Yellow’ wasn’t the color during Pacific Asian month!”

Red and Pink were the colors that month. And sometimes I felt that the “connections” were a bit forced. Color was supposed to be independent of race, but sometimes it didn’t really look that way.

“What happens when you run out of “groups,” or when you don’t get around to a certain group? And did the school focus only on the groups represented by the student body, or on other groups not in the school?”

Well, we weren’t there long enough for me to really gauge, but based on the calendar it appeared to be filled, and many different cultures were represented. The student population was very diverse, but I imagine there were some “groups” not represented in the school.

Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 9:33 pm ¶
Kathy wrote:

I think the most important thing is to find a school with a diverse student and teacher population. One
of my daughters was invited to apply for a scholarship
at a very expensive private school. I made an appt. to
visit the school and the first thing I noticed was the
lack of a diverse student population and a very white
mostly women teaching staff. I realized that my child
was being offered this scholarship to benefit the
wealthy white children in this school. I asked the administration why there wasn’t a more diverse
staff and was told that they couldn’t find anyone.

I think teaching history is a year round job. I
constantly keep my eye on what is being taught
in school and counter any misinformation that
I come across.
The very best book I have found about the
Civil Rights era is:Primary Sources Teaching Kit: Civil Rights published by Scholastic.
Because primary sources are used, narrator
bias is kept to a minimum. The pictures in this
book help to make the subject more interesting
and have a very powerful effect. I wish there
were more books like this to help supplement
history education.

Posted 11 Jan 2007 at 12:23 pm ¶
Gunfighter wrote:

Every month is black history month in our house.

As a matter of fact, every month is history month in our house.

My wife is a professional historian, and I am a major history geek.

My wife is white, I am black. In our house, history is history.

Posted 11 Jan 2007 at 12:45 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:

Gunfighter: Yes, that’s exactly how I want to raise my kids. Watch something or read something, discuss, rinse/repeat. Now how to raise a kid that likes the History Channel more than Nickolodeon…

Posted 11 Jan 2007 at 1:34 pm ¶
Kim wrote:

Disable the Nick! Disable the Nick!

I tell you, I have so many old VHS Sesame Street shows my kids tell other people, when asked what THEIR favorite show or character may be, “-No, Elmo is my Mother’s favorite character. She’s crazy about him.” And then they give the little, Oh Mommy, please don’t embarrass me by singing “Songs,” (which Elmo did in duet with that guy from the Daily Show) on the Elmopalooza special.

Sorry, went off there … yes, I’m with Gunfighter on this one, every day is history day. My husband is the buff, and a bit of a snob so I only seek his help for the details when I’m lost, but I kind of like the way we get to constantly infuse the kids with the idea of one’s fellow man as belonging to a culture that could open up to them, “so really listen when a new friend tells you they do it differently at their house.”

To Kathy:

Interesting. My son was also invited to apply for a school at a private-and-for-the-high-IQ group admission, though I didn’t pursue it.

He had been so acclimated to the school he was in, and loved by everyone, that I ddidn’t want to take that away from him. He was, however, only one of two Blacks in his grade, and had been since Kindergarten, so even touring the other school would not have caused a jarring alarm for “tokenism,” or of treating him as “the learning project.”

Thanks for that perspective. The school I have my eye on (on the other coast of the country, mind you) has an excellent tradition of rounding out the many faces and backgrounds of its student populace. Still, it is a ’rounding out,’ and I must keep all the radar on.

Posted 11 Jan 2007 at 3:37 pm ¶
Nina wrote:

The problem with BHM , in my opinion, is that they trot out the same few figures and stories (MLK, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and maybe Malcolm X) and let’s not forget the corny, pandering commercials on TV (the McDonald’s one comes to mind- “if they could light a candle, for everything he’s done…”). Schools certainly don’t get past the superficial. Kids learn and recite “I Have A Dream,” Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, and that’s it. Plus in a school that does not embrace diversity wholeheartedly (student body, teaching/admin. staff, activities etc.)it rings hollow. Black History is U.S. history and like Gunfighter says, should be taught daily, and new figures and stories added to the narrative. In the meantime, conscious parents must do the work. My parents taught me geography and African history that I never learned in a classroom. Parents are truly their children’s best teachers.

Posted 12 Jan 2007 at 11:28 am ¶
Nina wrote:

Oh and I had the additional “dreaded” homework from my parents. At the time it seemed harsh to write book reports or give presentations to my parents over summer break, but looking back on it, I learned a great deal and believe they were integral in developing my passion for reading and constant thirst for knowledge.

Posted 12 Jan 2007 at 11:32 am ¶
atlasien wrote:

In reference to an earlier comment, I agree colors (as in, colors of the rainbow) really don’t match up well with races and cultures. But a great way to use symbols for children is by invoking colored metals, gems and woods that all have very nice positive connotations.

black: onyx, jet, mahogany
Asian: gold, jade
Hispanic/Native-American: gold, bronze, copper, amber
white: ivory, pearl

Posted 12 Jan 2007 at 11:53 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:

>black: onyx, jet, mahogany
Asian: gold, jade
Hispanic/Native-American: gold, bronze, copper, amber
white: ivory, pearl

I could see that, if the black and white associations weren’t so .. I dunno, skin-tied. There are too many descriptions of ivory skin, for one, as the epitome of female beauty (given, more likely to be read in a Danielle Steele novel nowaways), and the mahogany idea gets overused, and basically gets paid lip service in US culture.

But I like the idea of linking the history of a society/culture to culturally/monetary/religiously significant items: Pacific Asia with jade is probably the best tangible link I can think of from the list. For Native Americans, this cultural history is too diverse - could include ivory, seashell, and bronze/copper. And I could see it backfiring very quickly….

Posted 12 Jan 2007 at 12:09 pm ¶
cloudscome wrote:

As a school librarian I am doing what I can to try to avoid the tendency to rely on MLK and Rosa for BHM curriculum. There are plenty of other really good biographies and history books for kids now and no reason not to spread it out! I think it would be good for everyone if there were more perspectives and greater depth in our history curriculums. As a parent I am stocking my house with the best literature by and about people of color that I can find.

Posted 12 Jan 2007 at 3:28 pm ¶
Yvette wrote:

“Black History is U.S. history and … should be taught daily.”

The key word, I think, is “should.” Yes, this SHOULD be the case, as far as I am concerned. But I have very little faith that it would come to pass without a formal Black History Month. Perhaps I am older than many commenting here, but I came of age when pretty much zero “Black history” was taught in most majority-White schools. Without BHM, I fear that there would be a great vacuum and many schools across the country would eventually go back to this state of afairs.

Perhaps that’s my cynicism speaking. But preparing to teach Black history (and teach it well) is a lot of hard work. How is it that folks would be motivated if there were not a formal time set aside during the year?

Posted 16 Jan 2007 at 3:51 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:

>But preparing to teach Black history (and teach it well) is a lot of hard work. How is it that folks would be motivated if there were not a formal time set aside during the year?

Yvette: I disagree, because saying “hard work” is implying that REGULAR history is easy, and includes NO minorities…

Let’s face it - the way we teach history to students in the US, especially our OWN history, is flawed but improving. The very fact that we question the mythologies of our traditional Euro-centric/white-washed (no pun intended) history is a sign of progress.

We question the story of Plymouth Rock and the first thanksgiving. Puritans aren’t seen as the bastions of fortitude and religous freedom, but as a rather more diverse bunch of sects who wanted their own religious freedom and to hell (literally!) with eveyrone else. We talk about the Trail of Tears, even if some texts stil lionize Andrew Jackson. And first-person accounts of historical events from various perspectives are not so unusual anymore.

The solution, therefore, is to keep going and keep getting a better history curriculum out there. To make sure that our historical narratives are inclusive, and show different perspectives, not to demonize, but to form a better tapestry. History may be written by the victors, but that doesn’t work so well when the erstwhile “victims” survive and thrive to tell their side of the story. We’ll be better off if we know the whole truth.

It may be a simplistic analogy, but for me it’s kind of like a kid realizing Santa isn’t real (and neither was that cherry tree). Maybe they get bitter and disillusioned for a while. But maybe, with the right coaching and parental example, they start to appreciate what the holiday is supposed to be about.

Posted 16 Jan 2007 at 7:27 pm ¶
Yvette wrote:

Lyonside, I have to disagree with your disagreement LOL. I think there is no question that teaching about some aspects of history are harder for many adults than teaching about others. In particular, teaching about histories of oppression are hard (for folks of many backgrounds) because to do so we must deal with our own “issues” around internalized racism, classism, personal histories of discimination, etc.

I applaud all those educators who are working to “question mythologies” and the like–and to incorporate more complete and accurate views of history in their teacing. But I maintain that this is not done enough and that without formal mechanisms in place, there will be little motivation for much more of it.

I’d love to be proven wrong. But I’d place bets that without BHM most schools would go back to how things were when I was a Black child growing up and going to school in majority White schools.

As one example of this “whitewashing” even today, my children’s recent Scholastic “newsmagazine” they brought home about MLK had sentences like “When MLK was a boy there were bad laws that kept white people and black people apart…”
So these Bad Laws were just magically in existence… And they equally disenfranchised these two groups of people… And the main point of the Bad Laws was to separate people… And of course, the text goes on to paint a picture of a present that is void of all such unfairness.

If this does not demonstrate “issues” we have with facing a history oppression by specific people towards specific people, then I do not know what is!

Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 11:22 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:

Yvette, I agree that BHM makes schools THINK about it…

But really, BHM and everyone else’s history month should be year-round. To segregate it to one month can be problematic, sending the signal that if THIS month is for blacks, every other thing you learn is history isn’t. It can make for a very disjointed curriculum in which students get the idea that different ethnic/racial groups were walking parallel paths that never crossed, except for the really BIG ones. In reality, that just wasn’t true.

I do think though that it’s up to the PTAs, the school boards, the local voters OF those school boards, and the community at large to demand better. Heck, in PA last year, the local voters ousted a school board that was promoting ID and jettisonning evolution. It can be done.

Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 12:04 pm ¶
Yvette wrote:

Again, all I can do is point out that I have, perhaps, less optimism than some. You say again that Black and other history *should* be year round, that teaching it well *can* be done. I refuse to see this as either-or: We can continue to observe Black History Month AND teach Black History all year round. (Which is what my husband and I do in our home already.)

We will have to agree to disagree on this point. Beware, however, that those claiming a desire to delete BHM because “it should be all year round” may be sharing the same bed with those who would delete it for much more sinister purposes.

Until I hear a viable plan and believable commitment for the 365-idea, I aim to continue to fight for the existence and observance of BHM.

Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 3:27 pm ¶