 Dr. Ronald McNair graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T). He was an accomplished saxophonist, a man of Omega Psi Phi, a fifth degree Black Belt, karate master and the second Black man in space. Both of Dr. McNair's parents instilled in him and his brothers the importance of hard work. is father was a mechanic, and his mother was a school teacher. She drove over 600 miles roundtrip to South Carolina State College (now University) for classes as she pursued her master's. Dr. McNair could read and write before entering school and was considered a mechanical genius. When he was nine years old, a librarian at Lake City Public Library in South Carolina called the police on him for refusing to leave the segregated library. Today, that library is named for him. He went on to graduate valedictorian from his high school. When he got to college, Dr. McNair almost majored in music instead of physics. As a freshman at A&T, he was intimidated by all of the big city kids who were majoring in physics; he was just a country boy. But one of his counselors encouraged him to pursue physics, saying "I think you're good enough." He went on to earn a Ph.D. in physics from MIT, becoming nationally recognized for his work with laser physics. He was one of 35 people chosen by NASA out of over ten thousand applicants. McNair flew several successful missions in space, but died in the 1986 Challenger explosion. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) Dr. McNair stood out over 10,000 other people who applied for the space program because he worked hard and believed he was good enough to apply. What amazing things can you accomplish if you just believe you're good enough? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Have you ever found yourself running from a challenge because you were scared? Write three ways you can encourage yourself or others to keep going and tackle big things, even when they are scary. High School Students (Grades 9-12) Despite being a genius from a young age, Dr. McNair almost majored in music instead of physics because he didn't think he was good enough. Later, he almost didn't go to MIT for the same reason. Imposter syndrome is the idea that you're not good enough or don't belong, even though you're more than qualified to be in a place. Have you ever battled or seen someone else battle imposter syndrome? How did you handle it? How did they? How can you help yourself and others feel a sense of belonging wherever you go? For Educators/Adults A police officer was called on a 9 year-old Dr. Ronald McNair for refusing to leave the library without his books. Despite the fact that segregation was the law of the land, if we are truly honest, most educators can admit there is rarely a good reason to call the police on children. Think about the ways that encountering the police can be scary for children, and especially for Black children in your classroom whose lived experiences and exposure through the media show police are most often not there to help them. How often do you employ a trauma-informed approach to discipline and classroom management that considers the differences in how students may experience the world versus how you or even other classmates experience it? How can you ensure you're promoting an environment that is safe and welcoming for all students, and that respects their lived experiences?
0 Comments
 Dr. JoAnn Haysbert is currently serving as the first chancellor and executive vice president and provost of Hampton University. She is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, and taught at Virginia State University before becoming the first Black woman president of any college or university in the state of Oklahoma when she took the reins at Langston University. She is a woman of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and a stalwart in Black higher education. Ulysses Byas called her "one of the most persuasive young people I ever met." At Langston, she introduced the first 10-year strategic plan in school history. She's best known for turning around institutions and motivating the faculty while securing the fiscal future of the institution. In 2003-4, she served as acting president at Hampton, the only acting president in. theschool's history. One of her former students at Hampton described her saying, "She generally cares about students. If you tell her problems, she'll get them fixed. She is willing to learn about things. " Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) One of Dr. Haysbert's students said she appreciated that Dr. Haysbert cares about her students and is willing to learn new things. Do you believe your teachers care about you? What things can you teach them even at your young age, that they might not already know? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) When she was serving as acting president of Hampton University, Dr. Haysbert seized the student newspaper because the editor at the time refused to publish her memo on the front page. This sparked a lot of controversy around the country, and she eventually apologized, admitting that she didn't understand how censorship worked, and saying she just wanted everyone to see her memo. Can you think of a time when you made a huge mistake that upset a lot of people, because you didn't understand something?How did you handle it? What would you do differently if you could do it over again? High School Students (Grades 9-12) Dr. JoAnn Haysbert's mantra is centered around moving "from excellence to greatness." What does this mantra mean to you? How do you define excellence? How do you define greatness? What do you think is the relationship between the two? For Educators/Adults A student described Dr. Haysbert as someone who genuinely cares about her students and "will" solve any problems brought her way. How would your students describe you? How are you making it clear that you care deeply for all of your students? Is your display of care impacted by any biases you may have about certain students or groups -- positive or negative? How much willingness have you shown to learn new things from your students?  Reginald F. Lewis is the first Black billionaire. Graduate of Virginia State University -- he attended on a football scholarship and there he pledged Kappa Alpha Psi -- and the only person in the history of Harvard Law School to be admitted before applying. But before he was any of that, Reginald F. Lewis was an entrepreneur. At the age of 10, he set up a delivery route to distribute the Baltimore Afro American newspaper. He went from 10 customers to more than 100 in two years, and sold the route for a profit at the age of 12. When an injury halted his college football career, Lewis shifted his focus from athletics to school and work; he generated so much business for the photographer he was assisting that he was offered a partnership. Lewis went on to graduate from law school, work as a corporate lawyer, and then switched sides and founded a private equity firm -- and that's where his money was made. But he didn't keep it all for himself. Lewis shared his wealth to enhance causes he thought were important, mostly educational and children's causes. His first donation was an unsolicited donation of $1 million to Howard University. His foundation also founded the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History in Maryland, which works in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education to teach Black history to more than 850,000 students and 50,000 teachers.The museum's main goal is to enhance Black history curriculum in public schools. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) Reginald F. Lewis' most famous quote is "keep going, no matter what." What can you promise yourself that you will keep doing, no matter what? How will it impact your life? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Reginald F. Lewis was really good at making a plan and going after what he wanted. What things do you want? What is your plan to make sure you get them? High School Students (Grades 9-12) Reginald F. Lewis' most persistent legacy is a museum committed to furthering the teaching of Black history in schools, and helping teachers better understand its importance alongside their students. Why do you think this is important? How well do you feel like this vision is being realized in your school? For Educators/Adults Reginald F. Lewis' most persistent legacy is a museum committed to furthering the teaching of Black history in schools, and helping teachers better understand its importance alongside their students. What role are you playing in working to better understand Black history, and helping your students of all races understand the same?  Dr. Ulysses Byas dropped out of high school two times before finally finishing and serving as a journeyman and a cook in the U.S. Navy. He graduated with a degree from Fort Valley State College (now University) in Georgia, and went on to get a master's degree and a doctorate before taking over as head of schools for Macon County Public Schools in Alabama, making him the first Black superintendent of a mixed school district in the South. As a leader, Dr. Byas was vocal about the disparities in funding for predominately Black schools. (Though Brown vs. Board of Education had been the law of the land for 16 years by the time he took over at Macon County Public Schools, Alabama and his native Georgia were slow to desegregate.) He was well-known for his ability to turn around budget crises in districts, as well as his ability to bridge the gap between different sectors in education. Dr. Byas believed in the importance of people -- especially Black educators -- having a voice of their own, undiluted by the agenda of the majority organizations. He knew that one of the dangers of integrating into white organizations was that they didn't always speak for the interests of the Black educators. "It's ironic that at the time that Stokley Carmichael was preaching Black power that the Black teacher's organizations were giving up power by merging with the larger white organizations," he said. And so the National Association of Black School Superintendents was formed, and Dr. Byas was named an early president. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) Dr. Byas believed it was important for people to use their own voices to speak up for themselves, instead of letting others do the talking for them. How can you use your voice to speak up for yourself? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Dr. Byas said he thinks even the best schools are 50 years behind in their philosophy. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Do you feel like school is preparing you for the world of the future, or some world of the past? Why do you think that? High School Students (Grades 9-12) Why do you think Dr. Byas and the other founders of the National Association of Black School Superintendents (later Black School Educators) thought it important to form a group that would advocate specifically for Black eductors? What considerations do you think were missing from the majority educators' group, and why? For Educators/Adults Dr. Byas said even the best schools were behind in their philosophy, and called out Georgia, saying "they must have been 200 years behind." How relevant is your classroom pedagogy? Are you teaching and managing your classroom in a way that was relevant 50, 200 years ago because that's how it's always been? Or are you adjusting to what we now know about how children learn best?  Sonia Sanchez said in a 2017 interview that "Howard didn't really want me there" -- she was too radical, and not quite a member of the Black Bourgeoisie that Howard groomed. Hers is a story that is Howard-adjacent -- she was a recurring guest lecturer, not a tenured faculty member. But there's a story to be told about people feeling like outsiders in spaces created for them, too, right? Sanchez is a teacher, a master poet. An activist. A Black feminist. She briefly joined the Nation of Islam, but left after three years because her views on women's rights conflicted with the views of the faith. She is a key figure of the Black Arts Movement and an originator of the spoken word art form. At 87, she continues to be a voice for Black culture, civil rights, women’s liberation and peace as a poet, playwright, teacher, activist. She is one of the earliest champions of Black studies as an academic discipline -- her Black studies course at San Francisco State University pre-dates the first recognized program. She also taught the nation's first course on African-American literature at a predominately white institution. But her appreciation of the English language came almost out of necessity. She developed a stutter as a young child after the death of her grandmother, who was one of her primary caregivers at the time; her mother had died in childbirth. When she moved to New York to live with her father, a school teacher, she started to pay close attention to language and the sounds of words, in an effort to overcome her stuttering. Discussion Questions Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) Sonia Sanchez took something people often tease others about -- stuttering -- and turned it into her superpower. She became such an master of words and sounds in an attempt to overcome her stutter that she became one of the best poets and writers of our time -- and pioneered a new kind of speaking in spoken word. What do you dislike about yourself, or find people tease you about? How can you transform it into a superpower? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Sonia Sanchez didn't always feel like she fit in in the spaces she found herself, but she thrived anyway, and held onto the things that were important to her. What's important to you? How will standing up for those things make the world around you better? High School Students (Grades 9-12) Sonia Sanchez said Howard "didn't want me there," because the institution preferred more tame individuals who wouldn't rock the boat with the establishment. Many of the institutions (and individuals) that are important and central to the advancement of Black people are equally riddled with contradictions about propriety and a need to "go along to get along." Do you think there's a place for propriety as a way to advance one's goals? How does it -- or does it -- fit in with other approaches to protest and advancement? For Educators/Adults Are you shaping a life-long love of learning in your students? Or are you participating in a system that would push out their excitement to learn? How will you help to shape the way they view the world through the role you play in their lives?  February 13 Alain Locke is the father, or dean, of the Harlem Renaissance. He was the first Black Rhodes Scholar, a former professor at Howard University, man of Phi Beta Sigma, and one of the pre-eminent Black philosophers of his time. Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "We're going to let our children know that the only philosophers that lived were not Plato and Aristotle, but W. E. B. Du Bois and Alain Locke came through the universe." Dr. Locke examined causes of opinions and social biases for his doctoral thesis, and returned to Howard to chair the philosophy department (his father was an alumnus of Howard's Law School). While at Howard, he taught the institution's first class on race relations and fought for equal pay for the Black faculty members at the institution (though Howard was founded for the education of Black students, its leadership and much of its faculty were still white until Mordecai Johnson was named president in 1926. Locke was dismissed for raising a ruckus about equality, but Johnson brought him back, and Locke remained at Howard until his retirement in 1953. Dr. Locke's edited volume, "The New Negro," is said to be the first national book of African America. It raised the possibility of equality for Blacks in America, advocating for Blacks to not adjust for or comply with unreasonable demands from white folks in America. The volume launched the careers of some of the biggest writers of the Harlem Renaissance, including Zora Neale Hurston. He wrestled with his sexuality as a homosexual man in the early 1920s. While he never came out, his sexuality was well-known by his peers. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) Dr. Locke believed young people would be the leaders of the movement -- that means you! Name three ways you can be a leader in your class, home, or community. Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Dr. Alain Locke was said to be a man of many contradictions. Despite his importance to the movement, he started his career not wanting to be a "race man" -- that was his father's dream for him -- and he often wrestled with political and social stances. Talk about a time when you felt conflicted between something your parents wanted for you and what you wanted for yourself. What did you do? High School Students (Grades 9-12) Dr. Alain Locke fought for equality at Howard University, an institution established to promote equity of Black people. This idea parallels the idea of other movement contradictions, like sexism in the Civil Rights Movement. Why do you think these contradictions exist? For Educators/Adults Dr. Locke argued for " an enforced respect and interest for one’s own tradition, and a more or less accurate appreciation of its contrast values with other traditions." Are you working to fully understand the cultures of the students in your class? How are you being thoughtful about not only exposing your students to a number of cultures but draw comparisons to and help them contrast the values of other cultures as a way to further their interest in their own?  Mary Church Terrell was an HBCU professor, a pioneer in American education, mentor to the founders of Delta Sigma Theta. She is one of the first Black women in the U.S. to have earned a bachelor's degree, and one of the first two to earn a master's degree, both from Oberlin College in Ohio. The daughter of Robert Church, the first Black millionaire in the South, and Louisa Ayers, who ran a hair salon frequented by wealthy women in Memphis, Terrell herself began her career as a Modern Languages professor at Wilberforce University. She later moved to Washington, D.C. to teach in the Latin Department at M Street School (now Paul Laurence Dunbar High School), the first public high school for Blacks in the country and went on to serve as its first woman superintendent. Terrell also became the first Black woman in the country to serve on a school board, when she joined D.C.'s Board of Education. In 1948, at the age of 85, she won an anti-discrimination lawsuit against the American Association of University Women, and became the organization's first Black member. She made an impact in the world of education, but she is best known for her fervently fighting for the social and political empowerment of Black women, because she felt Black women were “the only group in this country that has two such huge obstacles to surmount…both sex and race.” When an old friend of hers in Memphis was lynched because his business was competing with local white businesses, Terrell teamed up with Ida B. Wells in the fight against lynching. She spoke five languages, and fought to eradicate the disenfranchisement of Black folks, and fought for educational reform. She was a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), and helped found the first kindergartens and nursery schools for Black children -- before early learners were accounted for in the public school system. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) Mary Church Terrell believed true freedom would best be achieved through education, and she worked to establish the first preschools and kindergartens for Black children. Why do you think it is important for young children to go to school? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Mary Church Terrell believed in the idea of "lifting as we climb," which meant that we all have a responsibility to reach back and help those who come behind us, as well as those around us who don't have the same opportunities we have. In what ways can you "lift as you climb" right now? High School Students (Grades 9-12) In a 1897 speech in Nashville, Mary Church Terrell celebrated the fact that just 30 years after the emancipation of slavery (during which several states passed anti-literacy laws making it illegal to teach Blacks how to read), there were a number of noted Black scholars and a Black wealthy class. She challenged "any other race to present a record more creditable and show a progress more wonderful than that made by the ex slaves of the United States and that too in the face of prejudice, proscription, and persecution against which no other people has ever had to contend in the history of the world." The same is true today -- African Americans continue to achieve in spite of, not because of, the systems that exist today. Why do you think it is taking so long for those systems to crumble? For Educators/Adults Mary Church Terrell once said that "seeing their children touched and seared and race prejudice is one of the heaviest crosses that colored women have to bear." Her words are still true today -- but today, they show up most often as low expectations for Black children, a lack of access to curriculum that looks like them, and a lack of "incentive to effort," which she also spoke against, more than direct discrimination. In what ways are you working to fight against all of the above. --first in yourself, and then in your school?  Before the Honorable Thurgood Marshall was the first Black Supreme Court Justice of the United States, he was a double-HBCU educated Alpha Phi Alpha Man who was known as much for his big personality and penchant for bourbon and daytime soaps as he was for his legal prowess. A graduate of Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law, Justice Marshall is best known for his successful arguing against school segregation in 1954's landmark Brown vs. Board of Education case. But in his work as an NAACP lawyer -- where he founded and served as inaugural executive director of the NAACP's Legal Defense and Education Fund -- Justice Marshall argued 32 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He won 29 of them. His mother Norma was a school teacher, and one of his first legal cases was around equal pay for Black women teachers in Maryland. The court ruled in his favor, and Justice Marshall took the fight to 10 other states across the South. He sued the University of Maryland Law School to force the admission of Donald Gaines Murray, a Black graduate of Amherst University. Dubbed "Mr. Civil Rights," he's best known for his work in education and voting rights, but Justice Marshall also was at the forefront of the fights against police brutality, women's rights, and the death penalty. He was appointed the U.S. Solicitor General by President Lyndon B. Johnson -- the first Black person to hold the position, and the highest-ranking African-American in government at the time -- en route to the Supreme Court. Marshall won 14 of the 19 cases he argued for the government as Solicitor General. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) The Honorable Thurgood Marshall once said, "This is a great country, but fortunately for you, it is not perfect. There is much to be done to bring about complete equality." What role can you play in helping to create a more equal country for everyone who lives in it? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) The Honorable Thurgood Marshall once said, "Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on." Do you feel like this country belongs to you? In what ways can you make and protect and pass on our democracy? High School Students (Grades 9-12) Thurgood Marshall was a champion of the First Amendment, and especially the right and need to embrace protest as a means to move democracy forward. He believed strongly that people should do what they believe is right, and let the law catch up. Why do you think he called protest against injustice "the foundation of all American democracy"? Based on what you know about the principles of democracy, do you agree or disagree? For Educators/Adults Hon. Thurgood once said that we owe ourselves and everyone around us an examination of our true intent. What is your true intent as it relates to the students in your care? What ways can you make sure that intent is felt by them?  Dr. Alma Adams is a two-time graduate of North Carolina A&T State University. A former professor of 40 years at Bennett College. An Alpha Kappa Alpha woman. And she is currently serving as a Congresswoman representing North Carolina's 12th district in the United States House of Representatives, where she is also founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus in Congress. In 1984, Dr. Alma Adams -- who holds a Ph.D. in art education and multicultural education -- became the first-ever Black woman elected to the Greensboro (N.C.) City School Board. Since then, she has been an advocate for has been a loud and persistent voice for HBCUs. She is also an advocate for increasing opportunities in STEM education -- and incorporating the fine arts into STEM disciplines, after all, she has three degrees in art. In 2019, she co-launched the Black Maternal Health Caucus in Congress, calling the issue of maternal mortality in Black women "one of the most urgent public health crises in the United States today." She continues to fight for affordable and accessible healthcare as well as voting rights. Rep. Adams believes "education is the great equalizer," and says "every child needs that opportunity to have a good education." She was elected to the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2020. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) In 2017, Rep. Adams gave the graduation speech at Bennett College, where she taught for 40 years. She told the graduates, "There's no substitute for action. If you see something, say something. But then do something." What are some ways you can 'do something' about things that are unfair around you? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Dr. Adams says she went "from the ghetto to Congress," largely thanks to North Carolina A&T State University giving her a chance and a foundation to be great. She is the epitome of "it's not about where you start, it's about where you finish." What are some challenges you've experienced or are experiencing that may seem hard to overcome? Write them down, then draw a map to the finish line of your dreams! High School Students (Grades 9-12) Rep. Adams says she -- and many others around the world -- owes a great debt to historically Black colleges for supporting, believing in and nurturing her that she can never repay. Who has supported, believed in and shown up for you? What has that looked like for you? What additional support do you feel you need to get you over the finish line of achieving your goals? For Educators/Adults In response to a number of racially motivated bomb threats on HBCU campuses, Rep. Alma Adams said this week, "I know for a fact that HBCUs can overcome any challenge. However, HBCUs shouldn't have to face the violence and terror my generation experienced during segregation." In what ways are you advocating for and standing up for your students to ensure they don't have to fight the same battles of yesterday? Are administrators in your school/district showing up for your staff as they work to support students?  Bayard Rustin was one of the foremost thinkers and leaders in the Civil Rights Movement -- but he was relegated to behind-the-scenes roles because he was gay. He grew up in an African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania, and went on to attend Wilberforce University in Ohio, which is affiliated with the AME Church and was the first Black college founded by Black people. He pledged Omega Psi Phi at Wilberforce, but was later expelled for organizing a strike -- an action that would foreshadow his career as a labor rights activist. After leaving Wilberforce, he returned back to Pennsylvania and enrolled at Cheyney State Teachers College (now Cheyney University). He was an accomplished tenor, and is singing earned him scholarships to both institutions. He was one of the architects of the 1963 March on Washington (though given the title of deputy to A. Phillip Randolph, who advocated for Rustin's inclusion). The next year, he led the New York City School boycott, in which more than 400,000 Black and Puerto Rican parents and children refused to go to school February 3, 1964 in protest of their de facto segregation. It was reported to be the largest civil rights demonstration in American history. He continued to fight for economic equality and gay rights as key components of civil rights, until he died in 1987. Discussion Questions
Young Students (K3-2nd Grade) Bayard Rustin was one of the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement -- someone who did a lot of work, but didn't get much recognition or credit. Who do you know who is an "unsung hero" in your community? How can you commit to making sure you give that person credit for the work they do? Middle Students (Grades 3-8) Bayard Rustin was openly gay in a time when it was frowned upon heavily, because he felt to remain closeted would perpetuate the idea that there was something wrong with being gay. He would be a part of the very system he was fighting against. Have you ever played a part in injustice by remaining quiet when you should have spoken up? Why did you make that choice? How can you commit to speaking up for what's right in the future? High School Students (Grades 9-12) Bayard Rustin was relegated to the background of the Civil Rights Movement because his sexuaity as a gay man went against the respectability politics of the time. Respectability politics is a set of beliefs that evaluates morality based on proximity to the traits and actions deemed "respectable" by the dominant group. What are some reasons you think respectability politics played a part in the Civil Rights Movement? What ways do we see them play out in present-day American life? For Educators/Adults Bayard Rustin's said, "The moral man is a man who is opposed to injustice per see, opposed to injustice wherever he finds it; the moral man looks for injustice first of all within himself." This is very similar to today's principle of antiracism; both require one to commit to fighting injustice wherever it appears, included in one's self. When is the last time you looked inward to ask yourself whether you are perpetuating injustices in education -- even unknowingly? What commitment can you make to tackling those internal injustices so you can make a difference for your students externally? |
About the SeriesA Black Child Can was founded to create a better world for students by empowering the adults around them with the knowledge they need to advocate on their behalf. The 2022 blog series builds on this foundation, encouraging educators to participate in the discussion and reflect on the ways they're showing up for their students. ArchivesCategories |
RSS Feed