Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/939681
are valued yearlong, and Project WORD builds a strong sense of com- munity that has contributed to students' academic success. "is class helps me to better understand what it means to be black," explains senior Melissa Perry. "I'm black and Mexican, and I had no black friends. But through this class I've learned more about my other half, and I'm proud of who I am." Ethnic studies classes offer depth and perspective Dominique Williams asks her students if they can name the "4 I's" of oppression. Hands rise, and students list them: ideological, institu- tional, interpersonal and internalized. Institutional racism — the idea that one group is better than another and has the right to control the other group — has been embedded in society throughout history, says Williams, who teaches ethnic studies at McClatchy High School in Sacramento. She believes it is time for that to change, and the first step is making history inclusive, so that students see themselves as part of the past and the present. "Ethnic studies allows schools to teach U.S. history the way it should be taught, by including all groups and highlighting their contributions to our country," says Williams. "U.S. history is very white centric, and Williams says teaching a more inclusive history helps raise awareness and empathy among students, "so they know other people's stories." 22 cta.org Feature Do's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History Do… • Incorporate black history year-round, not just in February. • Continue Learning. Explore how to provide an in-depth and thorough understanding of black history. • Reinforce to students that "black" history is American history, relevant to all students. • Relate lessons to other parts of your curriculum. By the time February comes around, the context of the struggle for civil rights and social justice should be familiar to students. • Connect issues in the past to current issues to make history relevant to students' lives. • Include the political and social context of the community 's struggle for social justice. Do Not… • Stop your "regular " curriculum to do a separate lesson on Rosa Parks, on the Civil Rights Act, or on Martin Luther King Jr. This trivializes and marginalizes anything you are teaching, making these leaders a token of their culture and ethnicity. • Decontextualize heroes or holidays from the larger social movement or historical place. • Focus on superficial cultural traits based on stereotypes. • Talk about black history in solely "feel- good" language, or as a thing of the past. • Limit the presentation to lectures and reading. Be sure to allow students an opportunity to discuss and reflect. • Teach with little or inaccurate information. Review resources to make sure they don't promote a Eurocentric perspective, which may misrepresent historic figures and social movements. • Shy away from controversial, ambiguous, or unresolved issues. Share the real- life experiences about racial realities in developmentally appropriate ways. For the full list, see tolerance.org.