By The HOPE Team, 2/9/2023, https://positiveexperience.org/category/blog/
At the HOPE National Resource Center we talk a lot about how our cultural history and celebrating our heritage provides many opportunities for positive childhood experiences (PCEs). Black History Month provides a time for intentional celebration of Black history and Black cultures. Learning about our history connects us to our past and shares the ways that Black people have influenced our history as a nation. Intentional courses on African American Studies share stories and voices for youth to connect to and see themselves in. It is more than knowledge children and youth gain when they learn about their history and heritage, they learn that their stories matter, and their voices are meant to be heard. Students from other backgrounds also benefit from learning Black history, building respect and learning to value the diversity of our communities.
On the first day of Black History month, the US College Board released the syllabus for the high school Advance Placement African American Studies course. This represents an advance in mainstreaming the teaching of African American history and will build on their pilot programs that began in 2022. The College Board hopes that the availability of African American studies at the high school level will increase interest in college. As Henry Louis Gates commented on the College Board Website, “Never before have high school students had the opportunity to engage with African American history and culture in such depth and coherence. The course begins with ancient African kingdoms and traces a path from slavery to freedom.”
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