Professor: 5 Ways Black Parents Must Step up and Teach Their Kids Our History

School has just begun, but that does not mean that Black parents are off the hook. While you can trust schools to sufficiently educate your kids in the areas of math and science, they should not be relied upon to do a good job when it comes to history. Especially our history.

If there are no other alternatives, it is possible for white people to teach Black history. But let’s keep it real: White supremacy is so deeply embedded into the fabric of this country that it would be better if Black folks oversaw the teaching our history. (Especially with Donald Trump in the White House.) And since most Black parents will not have a teacher from our community overseeing the history that their kids learn, they will have to step up.

But many of these parents don’t know where to start. I got you. I’m the associate director of a university’s Africana program, so let me give you some guidance. I find that books, movies and documentaries are a wonderful way to educate students, so I will give you five things that will help you educate your kids about Black history.  (And if there are any white people reading this and you want to know more about the Black experience in America, this will help you too.)

Nat Turner by Kyle Baker

After the Civil War, many in the South tried to rewrite history and downplay the viciousness of slavery. Don’t let your kids grow up believing that lie.

One way to educate them about the reality of that evil institution have them read a book that tells the story of slavery from the perspective of those who endured it. Nat Turner by Kyle Baker is a graphic novel that does that.  It will also highlight the fact that Black people were not docile…we fought back.

(Extra credit: You can show them 12 Years a Slave, but that movie is unflinching. This movie would be a good watch for Black kids, but I would not show it to them until they were in high school.)

Eyes on the Prize

There is a great deal of content that discusses the Civil Rights era. Eyes on The Prize is a wonderful documentary that tell the story of those freedom fighters from their perspective. Having your kids sit down and watch an episode or two would do them some good.

The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History A Graphic Novel History

By David F. Walker

For many years this group of people were maligned. History treated them like they were terrorists intent on the destruction of America. This book talks about what the Black Panther Party For Self Defense was really all about: the upliftment of Black people.  

13^th

I think people forgot Ava DuVernay’s documentary existed. It is streaming on Netflix and meticulously explains how the criminal justice system we have today is directly connected to the institution of slavery. This is a must watch for Black kids.

The Hate U Give

This is both a novel for young adults by Angie Thomas and a movie starring Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall and Anthony Mackie. This is the story of a Black girl from a family who teaches her about the history of her people who attends a predominantly white school. When the police murder one of her friends named Khalil (wanna guess what race he is?) her latent anger about white people and America comes to the surface.

This does a wonderful job of tying all that I listed above together but does so in a way that kids would understand. I cannot recommend both the movie and book highly enough.

This should get you started. But remember, you cannot trust white institution with the minds of our kids.

Black parents, if you want your history taught right. You must do it yourself.