Elementary and Secondary Working Groups Meeting

April 13, 2024

The April elementary and secondary working group meeting centered on a problem of practice that was raised by a working group member: how to find strategies for teaching about Black history that recognize both resistance and joy. Additionally, how to find ways to involve caregivers in that learning. 

Raphael shared an anecdote about his school and how there was an attempt at hosting a schoolwide Black joy/celebratory theme to Black history, but insufficient recognition of the horrors faced, as well. He shared an image of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and attendees discussed what joy was present and what uncomfortable conversations would generate from the same image. As a group, members added their definitions of Black joy, and topics in Black history that may lead to uncomfortable conversations, to a Jamboard.

They watched and briefly discussed videos about aLego artist andstolen artifacts at the British Museum. Raphael shared about the PBLs his third and fourth graders  did that were inspired by their learning around the Benin statues and the Lego artist. See images from the3rd grade and4th grade PBLs. The meeting wrapped with a 15 minutecollaboration about teaching both resistance and joy about Black LGBTQ+ history.