Teaching through Black History: An overview of Black Historical Consciousness

Abstract

History is one of the most undesirable subjects for Black students. The reason is not that Black students are apathetic towards the past; it is the lack of and/or coverage of Black history in U.S. and World history courses. Black students clammer to learn Black history (Noldon, 2007; Thornhill, 2016; Woodson, 2015). While evidence suggests that Black history increases Black student engagement and is psychologically beneficial (Boutte & Strickland, 2008; Chapman-Hilliard & Adams, 2016), these students are left disappointed with teachers who are incapable of teaching the subject. This paper responds to those concerns by outling a Black history framework that enhances the learning and teaching of Black history education.