Black History Should Be Taught All Year

Every February, students encounter familiar names: Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and perhaps Frederick Douglass.

They should know these people. But Black history is much larger than a handful of heroic biographies.

Black history includes literature, medicine, science, entrepreneurship, education, law, military service, agriculture, music, theology, invention, politics, family life, and ordinary people building communities.

Try something different this year. Instead of treating Black history as a February unit, place it naturally throughout the curriculum.

When studying the American Revolution, investigate Black Patriots and Loyalists. During the Civil War, study emancipation and Black military service. During industrialization, examine Black inventors and entrepreneurs. When teaching literature, include Black writers throughout the year rather than saving them for one special month.

This helps students understand something important: Black people were not occasional visitors to the American story. They were participants in it.

Take-away: Don't simply add a Black History Month unit. Look at the curriculum you already teach and ask, Whose part of this story is missing?

This broader approach is reflected in The Capable Scholar's Black history resources, which are designed to help families move beyond isolated biographies and explore Black history as an essential part of American history.