The solution

Dismantling the vilification surrounding Black history begins with understanding that a lesson on Black history is nothing more or less than that — a lesson on Black history. Unfortunately, America, the land of the brave and home of the “free,” has not delegated its social freedom to all its citizens and inhabitants equally or equitably. This inequity is a part of history and thus needs to be taught.

Systemic racism can be a difficult and uncomfortable conversation, but it’s important to teach those atrocious elements to learn from them. The purpose in teaching Black history in classrooms is not to guilt white students; it’s to teach them and all students. In the same way that teaching about other difficult subjects — like antisemitism and sexism — does not put the blame on the students taking the class, adding Black history to the curriculum does not put the blame on the individual, but rather serves as an explanation of how the past contributes to the current matters of today.

Furthermore, it’s far from true that all aspects of Black history are shameful — much of Black History Month aims to appreciate and acknowledge the many accomplishments of Black Americans, even in times of oppression.

Our school has previously presented lessons on Black history through some of its extracurricular activities. For example, West’s BSU has provided a place for Black students to learn and discuss what it is like to be a Black student in a predominantly white school and district, including monthly meetings and opportunities to lead in the school and the local community. These meetings often have an emphasis placed on Black history.

“We asked [the students] what it is that they wanted to get out of these [BSU] meetings, and one of the things they said was, ‘We don’t know our own Black history,’” Piffel said. “That was a huge eye-opener for me, so we’ve started and tried to incorporate some kind of Black history lesson throughout the year.”

However, the discussion of Black history must also be consistently extended to West’s non-Black students to increase exposure to diverse history beyond what’s typically taught in the classroom. This new educational representation will not only provide a new outlook on parts of history that the “victors” have overridden but it will also bring several nuances of Black history to light, especially for those living inside a cultural bubble. To further this objective, librarians Brian Welch and Lauren Reusch ran several Black History Month library events featuring Black culture. For example, students could participate in African drumming, an African American read-in and other craft activities highlighting Black culture.

“The librarians have done an awesome job of creating this opportunity for AcLab where anyone can sign up,” Piffel said. “It’s about learning. [The events are] about learning about others. It’s an event for students to learn about other people, and what I see it as [is] an opportunity.”

While these activities raise awareness, the conversation about Black history must also be pursued year-round, not just for one month. Black History Month is the beginning of a dialogue surrounding Black history, but for long-term success, we must be willing to extend the learning opportunity throughout all months instead of just February. Whether that’s through curriculum changes or the addition of new courses — particularly in history and social studies, similar to the AP African American Studies class that the College Board is implementing — to supplement current lessons and teachings, schools and districts must be multiculturally aware to set all of our students up for prosperity.

“[Parkway] doesn’t need an excuse or a reason to celebrate their students, especially their minority students. The Equity Task Force and Equal Opportunity Schools are working toward [mending] community divides, but educating [our] student body on Black history would do [a lot],” McLeod said. “Racial [issues] can run rampant in Parkway because people are just uneducated about race. We should implement change and make our student body more culturally sustainable and culturally aware [to] avoid cultural ignorance.”

For our students to succeed in a globalized world and become curious, capable and caring adults, we must stop the vilification of Black history. This begins with the dismantling of generations’ worth of stereotypes and continues with the education of our current students. By working to decrease the stigma surrounding Black history, we will cultivate a level of cultural awareness that will, in turn, allow students an empathetic understanding of various groups rather than a manipulated, white-washed and villainized version of history.