Why Do We Need Black History Month?

It wound up being my favorite class in college: a history course that I took just to get a few easy credits. The teacher stepped into the class on the first day and said something that forever changed my perspective on the study of history. He started by saying that he did not expect us to memorize a bunch of dates leading to a collective sigh of relief that was audible throughout the classroom. He then explained that he wanted us to be able to answer one simple question about everything we would learn that semester. How does each event affect our lives today? From that point on I’ve asked this question whenever I studied our history.

As I sit here in my home in Pennsylvania I’m overwhelmed by the number of people and events that have shaped the world and that set the stage for how the culture in which I am immersed functions today. And yet, as I look back on all of my years in grade school I realize there were so many names and events that were missed for one reason or another during all of those history classes. And the biggest omission of them all were the many contributions made by black men and women: contributions that our approved history books almost completely overlooked.

Why do we need Black History Month? I honestly wish that we didn’t need it. I wish that the text books did a better job of telling the story of how blacks and other minorities did important things so that we all can ask how their actions affect us today. But alas, with a few exceptions, those contributions are left out, leaving us with the need for a month designed to remind us not to leave people out.

A Band Director, A Taser and A Lot of Difficult Questions

It has become all too easy to list the multiple situations where interactions between the police and black citizens have gone wrong, and usually it’s easy to blame the police. But there are also many situations where placing blame is not easy: cases that are not so…black and white. What I see on the body cam video released by the Birmingham Police Depart after an incident that happened at a high school football game on September 14th falls in that category where it’s difficult to know who to blame

According to the body cam video, the game between Jackson-Olin High School and Minor High School had ended 18-20 minutes before the incident involving the band director from Minor occurred. Johnny Mims, and the band director from the other high school both agreed that the bands would continue playing music for a few minutes after the game ended. However, for reasons that are still not clear, the police began clearing the stadium. The Jackson-Olin band (the home team band) stopped playing. The band form Minor continued to play (sort of a new twist on the line from the song American Pie).

This is when things got ugly. A police officer confronted Mims, who told the officer several times to get out of his face. Someone turned out the lights. Police attempted to arrest Mims. There was a scuffle of some sort and an officer tased Mims several times while people nearby (likely members of the band) screamed. Once again we have a situation involving a black man that never should have gone in this direction but…I struggle with this one and I have questions for both sides, but I honestly lay blame first at the feet of the band director.

Did police overreact? Would they have treated Mims the same way if he was white? (Something Mim’s  attorney asked during a press conference.) Who turned off the lights and why were police in such a hurry to clear the stadium? These are all important questions but I think another question outweighs them all. Shouldn’t an educator set an example of respect for authority as well as respect for another person?

My expectation of a band director is to set an example for the members of the band and for all of the students in the school. Telling a police officer (or any other adult) to get out of his face is not setting a good example. What would he have done if one of his students told him to get out of their face for one reason or another? Yet, he just taught them all that this is okay. To expect police to simply ignore this level of disrespect is to ask for his students to treat him in the same way. This is not what we want and is not the lesson that an educator should teach.

For more on this story see coverage on CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/20/us/alabama-band-director-tased-speaks-out/index.html

For the police body cam video go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nvbnvjutGA

Are Schools Talking With Or Digitally Talking At Parents?

Photo by Nguyen Nguyen from Pexels

It's amazing how much things have changed since I was in school. Back then we brought home test papers for our parents to sign. That was a lot of fun when I got an "A", not so much when I got an "F". Now everything is electronic, with an email at the end of the week telling me what my child may or may not want me to know. To be honest I'd rather schools go back to having me sign tests. At least then I might actually know what’s going on.

Yes, I understand that we live in the information age but there is a point where information becomes useless. At least when kids bring papers home I can see what they are having trouble with. An email with a grade tells me little to nothing. I've even had times when the weekly email gave the wrong impression, like when one of my sons seemingly failed a test in a class where he would normally get straight A's. Turns out he missed one question in one section on the test. Because the section only had two questions, missing one meant getting an "F" on that section. I was left scratching my head until I learned he had gotten an "A" overall on the test.

In this digital age I see grades without context. I can't tell if my sons are struggling because they don't understand one topic or if something else is going on. In effect the schools send me more information while managing to leave me out of the loop. This leaves me learning a new way to read, one that allows for understanding the new tech school information system. Ultimately though, I have found an old tech solution to the problem. Each day after work and school we having a “debriefing session” where we talk about each class. With all of the avenues for getting real time information, the best answer is still an old fashioned conversation.

As a parent, do you like the new tech ways used by schools to send information? Do you feel like you are part of a conversation with your school or do you feel like they are electronically talking at you?