During the last two weeks, the staff has been having conversations about
the importance of celebrating Black History Month and how to integrate this
celebration mindfully into our curriculum. We have discussed sensitive parts
of our pasts and come face to face with the racist narrative that many of us
were taught in school. This “official American history” that we were taught
misrepresented Black people, and their influence in the construction of this
country. We participated in a retrospective exercise, where we remembered
our childhood and saw how the Black history that many of us were taught,
including slavery and the Civil Rights movement, was very white-washed,
and sometimes even absent.
It is impossible to teach every single account of the history of a country, but
today it is our responsibility to talk about the parts of history that have been
marginalized, as well as the reasons behind the marginalization. I believe
that a conscious, diverse, and anti-racist curriculum is one that is
constructed collectively over the ashes of our life experiences and
reflections. We are working on this every day at Hilltop. But this work has its
own challenges. For many of us, it has made us feel vulnerable and
uncomfortable. Before, this discomfort was often avoided with silence, but
today we are confronting these truths with questions and research in order
to continue learning and growing.
In order to continue doing this work and to grow stronger as an anti-racist
community, I would like to share some of the articles, videos, and podcasts
that have been part of our learning. If you have any questions or
suggestions, please feel free to reach out.
Books:
● Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram
X. Kendi
● White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
Articles:
● The History Behind Black History Month
● Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways
● Why We Need Black History Month
Videos and Podcasts:
● Elizabeth Acevedo: Hair
● Coming Together: Standing up to Racism Town Hall
● A History Book That Isn’t: Finding A Way To Teach Racism To A New
Generation
Yupaichani / Gracias / Thank you,
Marco Yunga Tacuri