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Teaching Black history: How educators in Illinois say it needs to evolve beyond the key figures

As Black History Month begins today, some suburban educators say it's time for Black history education to evolve beyond focusing on slavery, the Civil War and notable African Americans of the past.

While leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall are essential to history curricula, some educators are calling for increased emphasis on contemporary stories of prominent, and hidden, Black figures.

That includes recognizing the contributions of trailblazing Blacks in various fields, including the sciences, arts, music, education, literature, media, business, government and the humanities. It also calls for not relegating Black history education to an isolated unit of study during Black History Month.

There isn't much consistency in Black history curricula among schools statewide, according to a state task force survey of 617 of Illinois' 852 school districts. The Illinois State Board of Education's Black History Curriculum Task Force report paints a picture of disparate approaches that leave much room for improvement in how Black history is taught in prekindergarten through 12th-grade classrooms.

Typically, the curriculum spans centuries of African Americans' struggles for equality from slavery and racial segregation to the civil rights movement. In some cases, the curriculum incorporates social justice movements from the Black Power struggle of the 1960s and '70s to the more recent Black Lives Matter protests.

“Current events are what kids are going to care most about,” said Marcus Belin, principal of Huntley High School and a task force member. “What is taking place now is just as important as history.”

Belin said the task force's work began in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, prompting global Black Lives Matter protests and a national racial reckoning.

“That whole (episode) is going to be in history books ... but do we need to wait 15 years to start talking about it?” Belin asked.

It shifted the task force's focus toward exploring current events and themes and how they connect to deeper historical facts.

Among the task force's recommendations is changing the requirement for high school U.S. history to include teaching Black history.

Bryen Johnson with the Illinois Federation of Teachers noted in the task force's report a need for legislation providing clearer guidance to educators on what should be covered in classrooms.

“More importantly, there must be some type of enforcement mechanism to ensure that districts are adhering to the mandate that does not include adding another standardized test,” he wrote.

The task force's report now is in the hands of the General Assembly, and any statutory changes to Black history curriculum requirements would have to come from that body, said Jackie Matthews, Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman.

“ISBE doesn't mandate curriculum for schools. It's a local decision how they incorporate those requirements,” she said.

The task force's report calls for professional learning for teachers to support any curricular changes and the creation of a resource document outlining how African and African American history can be woven throughout the curricula year-round for all grades. It also stresses building students' Black history knowledge year to year.

Some suburban school districts, including Northwest Suburban High School District 214, have been working to incorporate key elements of Black history into the curriculum across grade levels even before the task force report was released last April.

“While the survey results themselves have not necessarily prompted specific changes, District 214 is engaged in ongoing curriculum inventories to ensure that we are covering essential themes and topics,” spokesman Dave Beery said. “In the case of our social studies professional learning communities, this includes asking a series of questions concerning whose voices, identities, perspectives and experiences are being included and how all units are relevant to students in today's world.”

Belin said helping school districts implement Black history curriculum changes at the local level is part of the next steps.

“We need school leaders all the way from the district office down to the school buildings to want to make that change,” he said.

A person takes photographs of a mural in memory of George Floyd on a wall of the Cup Foods store near where he was killed by a police officer in 2020, sparking protests that spread across the nation and world. Educators say Black history lessons in schools should include more recent events. Dave Schwarz/St. Cloud Times via AP
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