I have always assumed that my students, the vast majority of whom are New York State residents, have had a reasonable introduction to African American history in their high school educations. Perhaps that is wrong. According to an article in today's
New York Times, most American students have had no such thing. The article suggests that they know Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the "I have a dream" speech, and that's about it.
If you are one of the students for whom this is true, then please watch the new PBS series done by historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr
"Black History's Missing Chapters." Read it for yourself, and then turn on PBS tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 9 pm to start watching.
that chronicles the entirety of African American history, not just a few highlights. Here's the article:
I will be.
