HMS Students Connect Black History to Present Day
Feb. 22, 2019 -- Roxboro social studies teacher Zakiyyah Bergen calls her 8th grade students "change agents. They are the ones who will shape the world we’re all going to live in." She knows that in order to shape that future, they need both an in-depth understanding of our nation’s past and a critical approach to its present. She is helping them gain both during Black History Month by examining the contributions of African-Americans and our society’s response to those contributions.
Her "African-American History IS American History" unit uses the students’ recent study of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and branches and duties of government to look at issues presently facing society. The International Baccalaureate unit, which is also being taught by fellow social studies teacher Shenisha Austin, uses the following statement of inquiry to guide students: “The lack of acknowledgment of African-American contributions to society continues to reinforce negative stereotypes and biases in the U.S. in 2019.”
Students have been randomly assigned a significant African American scientist, politician or activist to research, from those well-known like Thurgood Marshall and Mae Jamieson to those lesser known like Shirley Chisholm, Mathias de Sousa and Andrew Young. Students will create a slide show of important facts about that person’s life including how they contributed to society both during their lives and now, and if those contributions were recognized at the time.
Ms. Bergen always expects her students to connect what they learn in the classroom to what they experience in the real world, so they will also examine current events such as the criminal justice system, mass incarceration, police brutality, and the ongoing segregation of educational systems and opportunities. The unit will culminate with students debating whether “systems of oppression continue to enhance or diminish our sense of community.” All students will prepare arguments for either side, only being assigned their position the day of the debate. This is a strategy Ms. Bergen employs to get them to carefully consider others’ opinions. “Plus, they have to learn to listen,” she says. “If we don’t listen, we can never compromise.”