August 23 is International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. With blatant, nationwide attempts to keep truth-telling out of schools, it’s especially critical to teach the whole truth about American slavery. Use our Teaching Hard History framework, its accompanying online archives and databases, and this film to help you and your students dig deeper into lessons about the slave trade and its lasting effects, as well as an often-forgotten part of our nation’s history: Indigenous enslavement.
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.
When it comes to investing in racial justice in education, we believe that the South is the best place to start. If you’re an educator, parent or caregiver, or community member living and working in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana or Mississippi, we’ll mail you a free introductory package of our resources when you join our community and subscribe to our magazine.