Lessons for back to school

 

Black history always has been American history. 

And Color Of Change is determined to fight right-wing forces that seek to separate Black history from American history and to demonize award-winning writers like Toni Morrison who tell Black stories.

Unfortunately, as thousands of students return to schools this fall, they will find that some of the books and authors they eagerly anticipated may not be available at their schools because conservative politicians and boards have pulled them from library shelves.

In response, Color Of Change hosted Children’s Carnivals in several cities to celebrate the importance of Black history inside and outside of the classroom and to build power through collective action of people across the nation who believe Black history should be a part of every school system’s curriculum.

“Black history is under attack in this country,” said Ciera Waga, Color Of Change program manager in Washington, D.C. “People are trying to erase our history. We want people to understand that this harm is happening to our history.”

The Children’s Carnival, the brainchild of Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, co-interim vice president of Color of Change, is a way to raise awareness about the issue while youngsters and families have fun and learn. 

More than 400 parents and children attended Color Of Change’s carnivals in Houston and Miami earlier this summer and a smaller event was held in August on Martha’s Vineyard in conjunction with other organizations. Color of Change will host its next Children’s Carnival Sept. 24, 2022, in Philadelphia.  

The events, led by Color Of Change staff and local volunteers and community builders, featured activities centered around children — bounce houses, carnival games and rides, storytelling and sports activities. There also were HBCU-styled dance performances, step shows and line dancing. The Houston event also featured line dancing and showcased the talent of local youths, while the Miami event highlighted Caribbean-style dancers. Children and families colored signs and bookmarks about Black history during an activity reminiscent of the creation of protest signs in the 1960s.

 

The lives and accomplishments of some of America’s most historic Black figures were woven into all the events, including works by author Toni Morrison, photographer Gordon Parks, journalist and anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, entertainer Josephine Baker and journalist and scholar Nikole Hannah-Jones’ “The 1619 Project,” which placed slavery and its ongoing legacy at the forefront of our national discussion.

“Often, these heroes are not taught in school,” Waga said.

At the carnivals, children were given “green books,” based on the guides that provided Black American travelers with information on safe places to eat and sleep while traveling through Jim Crow America from the 1930s to the 1960s. 

“The children used the green books to go through the carnival and learn about pieces of history,” said Destanie Newell, senior regional field manager for Color Of Change’s western region that includes Texas.

Waga said one of the goals was “to get ahead of the narrative in regard to Critical Race Theory because that’s the language the right is using. CRT is a law school class and not taught in K-12. We’re trying to raise the point that Black history is U.S. history.  We’re just saying that we’re in support of Black history.”

 

Carnival participants were able to sign petitions to keep accurate and complete education in classrooms, to urge textbook publishers to reject demands to eliminate Black history from texts and to support teachers who resist efforts to erase or whitewash history. Participants also heard from local advocates about efforts within their communities to keep Black history in classrooms.

“We wanted parents to learn about what lawmakers across the country are doing in trying to erase Black history from classrooms and textbooks,” said Siera Brown, Color Of Change’s senior regional field manager for the southeast who is based in Florida. “We really wanted to introduce them to Color Of Change, what anti-CRT means to our community and just allow kids to have a fun time and just be kids.”

Join COC’s efforts to keep truth in our classrooms by clicking here and here.