The accurate history of American slavery should be taught to children in age-appropriate and honest ways that develop critical thinking, while recognizing that Black history is U.S. history and goes beyond slavery. These LFJ publications—including Teaching Hard History: American Slavery, a K-12 curriculum framework—reinforce the importance of teaching this history honestly and provide resources for educators and parents.
This week, a photograph of a math assignment asking fifth graders to set prices for enslaved people went viral. Assignments like this are clearly harmful. But students can learn about slavery in ways that recover the lives and histories of enslaved people or dehumanize them; celebrate their resistance or erase their agency; recognize how slavery shaped our nation or ignore it completely. Educators can teach this hard history—and teach it well—in any discipline, to students of almost any age. Here are a few examples of how.
The struggle for equality and justice for all women is not relegated to history; it is the lived experience of women today in the United States and around the world. Our newest resource page, published in recognition of Women’s History Month, offers a variety of articles, texts and other resources to help discuss and uplift both the history of and the ongoing struggle for women’s equality.
Celebrate Women’s History Month by making a commitment to discuss, teach and learn about women’s rights and history, past and present, all year long.
