Buffalo professor examines how Black History is taught
Subject
Black History; Education; LaGarrett King
Description
Recently, there has been much discussion about how history is taught in schools. A University at Buffalo professor has made it his mission to expand teaching about African Americans to kids from many different backgrounds.
LaGarrett King believes it needs to begin with history in Africa.
“If the first time that you learn, and generally throughout school, you learn that Black people are enslaved, you typically have that connection that Black people are just people to be owned or people who have no agency or people who need to be surveilled,” said King.
She heads the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education at the University at Buffalo. It’s part of the graduate school of education with a mission of investigating and finding solutions for more effective teaching around Black history and race.
“If we get people that have a certain disposition around concepts of diversity, concepts around Black histories and other histories, we could, I think, have a shift in 10 years,” King said.
King founded the center after seeing what he calls little improvement in the way the subject is taught since the 19th century.
“One of the biggest issues in Black history education is teachers’ knowledge,” said King. “I wanted to create a center where we could improve teachers’ education around Black history.”
King believes in training teachers to understand history from a Black perspective — beyond just key dates and events, but rather the emotions of the people who’ve faced anti-Blackness.
Creator
BY ANDY YOUNG CITY OF BUFFALO
Source
Publisher
spectrumlocalnews.com
File
