An Invitation to Teachers
Black History Month and Beyond
The Windham-Willimantic NAACP offers several programs for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms in public and private schools, as well as after-school enrichment programs. Curriculum, activities, and presentations are aligned with Common Core Standards for reading, writing and social studies in elementary and middle school. High School programs are aligned with the new state curriculum for teaching Black/African American and Puerto Rican/Latino History.
Image Credit: geckoandfly.com Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 which started the procedure for freeing the slaves in America. It was also a precursor of the Thirteenth Amendment, which made slavery and indentured servitude illegal in the United States. Lincoln couldn’t see the enactment of the Amendment in December 1865, as he was assassinated in April.
The Windham-Willimantic NAACP Curriculum Committee has, since 2017, provided Black History and racial justice programs to schools in Windham County. Black History is American history and deserves more than one month a year in the school calendar. Students of all ages, regardless of race, benefit by learning about all Americans who have helped to build this nation. Yet the stories and accomplishments of marginalized communities are seldom told in textbooks and often overlooked in social studies standards. Our lessons and activities use a local, state, and national lens to engender civic and civil discourse about structural racism, class, and racial justice. In this curriculum, we provide students a lens for interpreting the rich understory of Native and African American history.
To that end, we have been working on several initiatives. Some have been successfully tested in classrooms (Prudence Crandall, Social Justice Picture Books, Dream Big, Kneeling for Justice, Complicity). Understanding that Covid-19 restrictions have impacted the way we teach, we have tweaked our programs and presentations to fit into the hybrid/remote model of learning.
We invite you to join us in providing rigorous and engaging conversations about racial and social justice in the classroom through lessons about diversity, inclusion, and equity. Please view the program descriptions and contact our liaisons to learn more about lesson plans and resources.
If you are interested in this program please complete our contact form to book the performance, classroom workshop, preparation, and follow-up materials. The classroom workshop will be presented by NAACP education committee members.