As a result of Black History Month, many people are writing about the lasting impact of important African-American figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Black History Month highlights the importance and contributions of many African-Americans and educates people about various struggles black people have and continue to face in America. 

While there are many organizations that educate the populace about the importance of African-American history, there is one important institution that fails to do so: the American public school system.

Oftentimes, the education system will only talk about African-Americans when referring to slavery or the civil rights movement. However, the U.S. educational system does not mandate that public schools should teach Reconstruction, Harlem Renaissance, or the social life of African-Americans during certain periods like the Great Depression.

Even when schools are teaching about civil rights or slavery, they are doing a poor job. The Pew Research Center notes that 48 percent of Americans believe that the Civil War was started over state’s rights and not stopping slavery from spreading and that most people who believe this sentiment are under 30.

Clearly, the U.S. educational system not only fails at teaching students about other important eras in African-American history but also inadequately informs students on the ones they already teach. So, what can the U.S. public school system do to better teach African-American history?

One way is to do a much better job teaching the impact of slavery. A report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, argues that U.S. schools romanticize certain figures like Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglass, and talks about the political and economic aspects of slavery.

Kendi suggests that U.S. public schools should focus more on the horrors and social causes of slavery. That way, students will have an easier time understanding the ramifications of slavery and its impact on US race relations. In addition, U.S. public schools should add Reconstruction and the Black Migration to their curriculum. 

Although Reconstruction lasted around 13 years and ended in failure, it was a time when the U.S. pushed for racial equality. Adam Sanchez, a high school teacher, argues that teaching the successes of the Reconstruction period allows students to discuss aspects of the era, and what students can do to strive for racial equality in the modern era.

Finally, schools should teach the Black Migration because it challenges the idea that American history centers around white men. Raluca Albu, a professor at Columbia University and U.S. History teacher in New York City public schools, argues that teaching Black Migration exposes students to a new point of view on history.

As America is becoming more diverse, it’s important that students need to be exposed to different cultures to promote racial equality. As people learn more about various cultures, they are more likely to be accepting of people who come from different backgrounds.

Now, schools shouldn’t just stop at incorporating African-American history into their curriculum, they should strive to include other groups such as Native Americans, Asian-Americans, and even Western European immigrants. I understand that there is a lot of content in American History courses, but as the U.S. is becoming more diverse, it becomes increasingly important to teach the history of various backgrounds, which can help promote racial equality.

While Black History Month is almost over, it shouldn’t prohibit someone to learn more about African-American History. In fact, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission (AACH) is doing the Green Book Project, which documents various business that was safe for African-Americans during the Jim Crow era in North Carolina. This project hopes to create an interactive web portal where people can learn about the history of each location.

However, the organization needs help collecting information around these sites. I encourage people to submit any stories from people who have visited any locations in the Green Book, or pictures and other forms of memorabilia. Learning about African-American history should not stop during the month of February, and I encourage people to either participate in projects that celebrate black history or continue to learn more about it.