Black History Month

If you're like me, you grew up in an education system that limited black history to slavery and Martin Luther King, Jr. Most often MLK was talked about around his birthday and throughout the month of February, in the form teaching us about peaceful protests and his "I Have a Dream" speech. For some reason our public education system thought this was sufficient and we didn't know any differently.

Fast forward 20 years and I'm discovering little progress has been made in this area. I've watched as curriculum has expanded to include leaflets about Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing but that remains the extent of my children's public education. Last summer, as the world saw centuries of hurt unfold in marches and protests, I realized that to explain this outcry to my children I needed to make a more intentional effort to teach them about what has brought us to this point. It can be hard for kids, and adults for that matter, to wrap their minds around something they have never experienced so we must do our homework to bring them (and us) up to speed.

As a white mom, I'll admit that I was a little lost about teaching my children about Black history. I didn't feel like I knew enough of it to teach it well. Where do I even start?

First things first: homework. I love to read and will read about anything I am unfamiliar with. If you aren't sure what to say, how to explain some basic things, pick up a copy of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho. He covers the things you aren't sure about. Black or African American? White privilege? Reverse racism? It's all covered in his conversationally written book. Read it, and then feel confident that you're not going to say something completely stupid to your kids that they will likely repeat when you're not around making you all sound completely ignorant.

Next, start where you're comfortable. I know that talking about race can be hard and awkward when you haven't experienced racial injustice yourself but that's okay. A little Google can go a long way. I'm not a great Googler so if I can get results, you can too. Promise.

Here are some areas we implement teaching Black history in our house:

Food. We love food. My daughter loves to be in the kitchen trying new recipes and helping us create food. She has her own set of cookbooks, plans meals for our guests, etc....you get the idea. So, that's was an easy place for us to start. I googled, "Black chefs in history" and of course, there were great results. In addition to finding information on Edna Lewis, James Hemings, and Hercules Posey, I learned that Mariya Russell became the first black woman to earn a Michelin Star in 2020. 2020! Let that sink in. We like to think history was a long time ago, nope, it was last year. So, we looked at some of these culinary giants and their contribution to the food we know and love now and made some of the recipes.

Trying new recipes isn't anything new for us, so as we cooked, we talked about why that recipe by that chef was important to us today. We talked about their achievements and what their perseverance in the face of adversity gave to the world. Food is always a gateway for conversation and education. Don't underestimate that.

Music is another love in our home. Music can change your mood in an instant and we regularly use Alexa to help with this. Again, I googled, "most influential Black musicians in history" and several sites came up. I clicked on the lists, scrolled through the names making a note on my phone, and during our lunch breaks, in the evenings while we worked on puzzles or played dice I would ask Alexa to play music by Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Chuck Berry, and Nina Simone. Of course these music choices would prompt questions about who was playing and open the door for me to talk about their accomplishments. One of the best moments was when a song would come on that they were familiar with but they had only heard it from a more recent cover. It reinforced the point of them being influential.

Books. A few years ago, I was challenged by one of my grad school professors to consider the books that I read and the authors that had penned them. He questioned how many people were people of color? How many of them were voices that were just like mine with experiences similar to mine? He was right. Since then, I've worked really hard to read books that bring diversity and perspective to my life. This doesn't mean that I've eliminated every white author, it just means that I've been more intentional to mix it up a bit. The same goes for my kids. I realized that a number of their books are illustrated with white children. The stories are written about white families or what is assumed a white family because. why would we think differently? How many books have kids of color in them? How many of their books talk about a culture that is different than ours? Very few. So, we make intentional choices with books. During Black History Month especially, we add a short reading featuring a historical figure in Black history to our nightly devotional. It's an easy way to learn about people that their history lessons in school aren't covering. Likewise, the Who Was/Is series has a few books about black history makers/events. Buy books that teach history and read them to your kids.

Movies. Sometimes telling our kids about something doesn't really help them to understand it. Seeing it play out on the screen in front of them helps. Be selective for your age demographic but movies like Remember the Titans and Hidden Figures, give kids a glimpse into the pain of segregation. This opens the door for dialogue if they don't understand it.

In 2019 Kevin Hart released his guide to Black history. My kids loved it, especially my son who loves comedy. He laughed all the way through it because it's well done and Kevin Hart is funny. It isn't regular Kevin Hart so your kids can watch it and you can know it isn't going to take a terribly inappropriate turn.

I could go on but you get the point. If your kids are interested in space, science, sports, art, fashion, etc. Google and find Black people that have made history in those areas and do something to pay tribute to them. Grab some clay and have them try to make a bust and talk about Edmonia Lewis. Throw a football and talk about Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall. There is a Black person who was the first in nearly every field because while white people have always been allowed in the arena, Black people haven't. It can be hard for us to understand because we, white Americans, don't know a country that didn't allow people with our skin tone to participate and excel. Every time a Black person entered a profession that they previously weren't allowed, they opened a door for someone else. Our children need to know that part of history and they need to know that history is still being made today. (see Mariya Russell, VP Harris, etc.)

This past summer was a major wake up call for our country. So many thought the playing field was level but realized it isn't because for so long people of color, Black people specifically, have been on a field that had an incline and they're tired of running uphill. Even if it were completely level now, the exhaustion of the disadvantage has set in. In order for us, and our children to be advocates for change, we/they have to understand the significance of past achievements paving the way for the future. We have to honor those that fought against racism, hate, and hardship to hone their craft and contribute to the very things we love today. It should be a priority to intentionally celebrate these victories and give credit where it's due.

Black history doesn't have to be intimidating for white people. It just takes a little bit of work for us because our education system failed us. It takes an extra effort because ignorance is no longer an excuse; We know it's important. In our home, we don't leave the development of faith solely up to Sunday School teachers. We believe that if we want our children to know God deeply, we have to nurture their spiritual education at home. We believe the same for education surrounding Black history. If we want to show our kids that caring for, understanding, and loving Black people is important, then we need to make educating them at home a priority.

Don't be intimidated. Start where you're comfortable. Admit when you don't know things and try to find out. Remember, change starts at home.