How I Fell in Love With Black History
Opinion
Social Studies Opinion

How I Fell in Love With Black History

By LaGarrett J. King — February 24, 2021 1 min read
Falling in love with Black history was a life-long process for Dallas high school social studies teacher and department chair Jania Hoover. In conversation with LaGarrett J. King, she discusses the class that awoke her to “the possibility that we were even worthy of study” and how that realization has informed her high school teaching career. Black joy must be a central part of changing the current failure of Black history education: Not only do we not talk about Black people enough in history, but when we do, it’s often only through the lens of pain and oppression. Hoover offers concrete advice for how to build your own content knowledge in order to bring that Black joy into the classroom.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy URL
LaGarrett J. King
LaGarrett J. King is the Isabella Wade Lyda and Paul Lyda Professor of Education and the founding director of the Carter Center for K-12 Black history education at the University of Missouri’s College of Education.

Falling in love with Black history was a life-long process for Dallas high school social studies teacher and department chair Jania Hoover. In conversation with LaGarrett J. King, she discusses the class that awoke her to “the possibility that we were even worthy of study” and how that realization has informed her high school teaching career.
Black joy must be a central part of changing the current failure of Black history education: Not only do we not talk about Black people enough in history, but when we do, it’s often only through the lens of pain and oppression. Hoover offers concrete advice for how to build your own content knowledge in order to bring that Black joy into the classroom.

Related Tags:
Race Instruction History

Events

Tue., April 23, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar How To Tackle The Biggest Hurdles To Effective Tutoring
Learn how districts overcome the three biggest challenges to implementing high-impact tutoring with fidelity: time, talent, and funding.
Content provided by Saga Education
Register
Tue., April 30, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar Reframing Behavior: Neuroscience-Based Practices for Positive Support
Reframing Behavior helps teachers see the “why” of behavior through a neuroscience lens and provides practices that fit into a school day.
Content provided by Crisis Prevention Institute
Register
Wed., May 08, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar Math for All: Strategies for Inclusive Instruction and Student Success
Looking for ways to make math matter for all your students? Gain strategies that help them make the connection as well as the grade.
Content provided by NMSI
Register
See More Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs
Create Your Own Job Search

Read Next

Social Studies Help Students Register to Vote, Education Department Urges Schools
Schools and universities can help get students registered to vote and help adolescents develop regular voting habits.
Evie Blad
•
2 min read
Voters wait in line up under an overhang of a building on a college campus. In the foreground, a sign says "vote."
Voters wait in line at a polling place at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas, on election night Nov. 8, 2022. The U.S. Department of Education says colleges and K-12 schools can do more to support young voters to build voting habits.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Social Studies Opinion What Black Parents Think About How Black History Is Taught
The preferences of Black parents are rarely the focus in debates over Black history instruction. Here’s what these survey respondents had to say.
LaGarrett J. King
•
3 min read
A group of parents look at a book, another parent blocks a child's access to the book
Camilla Sucre for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion What I Wish I Knew About Teaching Black History Before I Left the Classroom
Bettina L. Love explains how she struggled to portray Black icons as real people in the early days of her teaching career.
Bettina L. Love
•
4 min read
Photo illustration of colorful 60's geometric design patterns mimicking screen-printing over historic photograph. - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., center, addresses a gathering in the riot-torn area of Los Angeles, Aug. 18, 1965. Bayard Rustin, King's aide, is at left.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + AP Photo/Don Brinn, File + Getty Images
Social Studies Opinion Who’s Improving Black History Education for Everyone? Three Stand-Outs
Recent highlights in Black history education, from the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education’s LaGarrett J. King.
LaGarrett J. King
•
2 min read
Overhead view of people interacting with colorful books on a table.
Camilla Sucre for Education Week
Load More ▼