Black History Lessons, High Stakes Testing, and Community Action

Middle and High School People’s History Working Group

March 12, 2022

After some fellowship and check-in time discussing which blob person we related to the most, we heard from working group members about Black history month lessons and activities. 

Rose Vigil and her class focused on the theme Fighting Systems of Oppression and used Mariame Kaba’s We Do This ‘Til We Free Us to guide their work (pics below of their displayed banners in D.C.!) Tif had local history & archaeology folks from Sugarland talk about the historic, post-emancipation Black community talk with teacher leaders. 

Read more about Black Lives Matter at School lessons and activities in our newspost, and in stories on Ms. Ariel Alford (ACPS) and Beth Barkley (DCPS).

From there, we continued our study of Teaching for Black Lives with dialogue about disrupting high stakes testing. We also engaged in discussion with Jaime Koppel and Amyra of MoCo Defund Invest Coalition. Here is a slideshow that captures some of the ideas presented.

Working group members shared,

I really enjoyed all of the resources and the conversations I was able to engage in. I am really empowered to continue reading about high-stakes testing and figuring out ways to alleviate some of the pressure of testing in my school. I also feel very empowered to look more closely at the Black Swan toolkit.

I've so appreciated the issues that have been brought forward so far. It's helping me stay grounded and avoid tunnel vision in my own school and situations. I'm curious what those of us who are not dealing with these issues (testing, police in school) can be doing to better support these causes, in addition to fundraising.