How Black Parents Can Empower Children this School Year

I’ll never forget my first campus as a high school teacher. There were definitely more good times than bad, but my perspective was completely changed the day that an intercom announcement invited all African-American students to the auditorium for the Black History Program. Yes, only the black students were deemed necessary audience members for a program that celebrated a culture that benefits everyone.

Of course I said something. Let’s just say – I don’t work there anymore.

This school year pour into your black children stories of black empowerment. Study black history with them. They are not likely to receive lessons on black culture in Texas’ public schools. 

Most of today's black high school teenagers in the State of Texas have grown up in one of three types of campus communities:

(1) a very Hispanic school district that caters to English language learners or a growing Hispanic population.

(2) a black campus that has so many hills to climb because of funding, district discard, an emphasis on test scores and a lack of community support because of stigmas and attached apathy (parents who thrived in these communities, but don’t consider them good enough for their children)

(3) a non-black district that reminds them subtly on a daily basis that their poor performance as a member of the minority will significantly hurt the school's standing.

It is our job as black parents, black educators and black community members to bring awareness to our black students of their significance. There is nothing wrong with clubs and organizations that cater to black students. By pouring into our own children, we are not leaving out the others. There is nothing wrong with African American History Month programs for ALL students. Every single soul on this earth is benefiting from inventions by black people; listening to a musical culture founded and preserved by black people and everyone is capitalizing off of fashion, trends and social norms established by black people.  

Many will assume that "these kids today" don't want to know their history. The truth is, they've rarely (if ever) been exposed to their history. In my ten years as a classroom teacher, I’ve taught one dozen black students out of well over 1,000 children. Each of those students grew up in districts where they were an afterthought. They became desensitized to racial shade and subtle discrimination. Most of them don’t even flinch at the incessant need of their non-black peers to use the “n-word.”

Make it a morning quote over breakfast by the late Toni Morrison. Take your own weekend field trips to cultural centers and museums that celebrate the work of black people. Be as active as you can possibly be and insist that your children don’t take on a norm of passivity. Ask questions about the school day. Not only “what did you learn son?’ But “what did you teach others about your greatness?”

Please understand that teaching your children lessons on black history does not alienate them from their non-black friends. As an educator, few things satisfy my soul more than seeing children of different races getting along and caring for one another. What bothers me are professional development sessions and studies written on ‘multiculturalism’ that actually mean black children learning and embracing other cultures.

I’ve studied many high school curriculums and have yet to find one that accurately offers the study of black history and contributions by black persons in this world. Not even a teacher with perfect intentions can teach your child everything he needs to know within 45 minutes per day. Neither can a diverse institution with a fair agenda empower your child without reinforcement. 

Just like you can't teach a newcomer (a student new to the country) English in isolation - you can't expect a black child to recollect history from a black history month program where she recited a poem way back in kindergarten.

This school year, equip your children with more than a new backpack and new shoes. If you’re feeding them, clothing them, loving and encouraging them – you’re already doing more than many - kudos to you for parenting. But please, don’t allow your child to miss out on lessons of self and moments to forever be empowered because you’re waiting on hallway posters in February to tell pieces of the black plight.