Honoring Hidden Heroes

Schools Should Organize More Activities To Promote Black and Women’s History Months

Photo by Kevin Smith / CC BY 2.0

Most people know that February is Black History Month. But did you know that March is Women’s History Month? Both Black History Month and Women’s History Month are special times of the year that celebrate contributions of Black and female leaders to modern society. At Maclay, Spectrum Club has hosted chalk walk drawings and decorated trees featuring African American poets, and the upper school video news celebrates major achievements by African Americans every day. However, even with these opportunities, students rarely spend time reflecting upon such valuable topics. To help the younger generations develop caring attitudes towards diversity and equality – two concepts that impact all civilians – schools should provide more activities honoring Black and Womens’ History Months.

To begin, these months’ purpose of recognizing leaders of marginalized groups rejects the misinterpretation that they are naturally “inferior” or should be treated with sympathy. Rather, it advocates that they should be treated with respect for their roles in a traditional system of inequality. This doesn’t just apply to well known Black or female leaders and educators from history textbooks like Harriet Tubman who rescued 70 slaves, Elizabeth Cady Stanton who led the first Woman's Rights Convention or Jane Goodall who studied wild chimpanzees. Every bit of contribution, as ordinary as everyday domestic roles, deserves to be celebrated. If schools educate students about the significance of overlooked endeavors in American history, students would be more appreciative of the hidden figures in modern society as well.

In addition to recognizing underrepresented civilian efforts, Black and Women’s History Months can also encourage students to discuss how they can challenge inequalities in contemporary society. Even though these months emphasize achievements despite oppression, this doesn’t mean that the struggle for equality is over. During Black and Womens’ History Months, schools should encourage students to examine the past as a way to shape the future. When reminded of the historic definitions, desires and efforts for freedom and equality, students would be more open to discussions surrounding current flaws of American society.

It is especially important for schools to engage in this mission because humans most actively develop their mindsets in early years of life. That is, learning the same idea has more impact on young children who are getting newly exposed to the real world. Representation of diverse social groups will nurture future generations of right-minded citizens not only by teaching historical lessons but also motivating a larger pool of students who look up to leaders from similar backgrounds as themselves. Therefore, schools should try to increase Black and Women’s History Months activities for K-12 students, who are most susceptible to the formation of new perspectives.

After all, education is more than pure academics that teach math, science, history or English. It is a process for individuals to mature into successful citizens in a democracy. To help students later thrive in a system of equality, it is crucial for schools to encourage them to think about diverse leaders in our history.

“If you think about the purpose of education, it’s to hopefully help people develop into better human beings, and one of things we all have to work on is thinking of the world that exists beyond ourselves,” Spectrum Club Sponsor Lee Norment said. “I think schools' purpose is to help students understand that there are other perspectives on things and points of view that have existed, and it is especially important to amplify marginalized perspectives or voices."