From a Partner's Desk

ADLA | 2023 Black History Month Study Materials Week 4

African Descent Lutheran Association Presents:
Black History Month Study Resources for 2023

Teach and urge these duties. Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

Introduction

Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere, especially in education.

Recent attempts have been made to eliminate Black American history from schools. Some believe Black history is irrelevant to American history. These efforts have banned certain books and discussions about Black history in classrooms. The extent to which this has been done threatens recent empowerment efforts to advance studies related to Black history.

Eliminating Black history from the consciousness of our minds, banning books, and making it unlawful to teach the truth undermines efforts to continue the legacy of maintaining an important part of American history for future generations. Black History is interwoven into the history of American History. Neither can exist without the other.

Education is the key to remembering the impact of Black History from the 1400s. This requires making certain the legacy is not lost – but remembered. Ensuring Black history is never forgotten requires vigilance and a commitment to keeping our history alive. All efforts should be explored to maintain what we know for sure while uncovering information yet to be discovered.

In 1925 Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher, created what was known as “Negro History Week” to ensure Black history was not lost. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Though the month of February has been designated to celebrate Black History, Black engagement in American culture should be documented throughout the year and does not even begin to educate society on Black influence with its full impact.

We hope this information will encourage further discussions to explore some of the forthcoming information and a desire to learn more. Each week will highlight different areas that have enhanced our lives.

WEEK IV: Black Educators

• Charlotte Forten Grimke (1837 – 1914) was an African American educator, poet, and anti-slavery activist. She taught freed black slaves during the Civil War and later became the first Black teacher to teach at South Carolina’s Penn School. She worked with the U.S. Treasury Department to recruit Black educators.

• Kelly Miller (1863 – 1939) was a mathematician, sociologist, newspaper columnist, and activist. Miller was the first Black graduate student in Mathematics and the first Black man to attend Johns Hopkins University.

• Mary McLeod Bethune (1875 – 1955) was one of the most prominent educators-activist. She served as a teacher all her life and founded Bethune-Cookman College, which played an important role in setting educational standards for today’s Black colleges.

• Inez Beverly Prosser (1897 – 1934) was the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology.

• Booker T. Washington (1856 – 1951) was an educator, reformer, and founder of the Tuskegee Institute in 1881 and the National Business League two decades later. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery and became an important leader and African-American intellectual of the 19th century. Washington advised presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

• Dr. Jeanne L. Noble (1926 – 2002) was an educator, writer, and the first African-American to study and write about the experiences of female African-Americans in College. She became a member of the Board of Girl Scouts U.S.A., served the U.S. government’s Defense Department Advisory Committee in Women Services, and received tenure as a professor at New York University.