Bill Russell" Make Every Month Black History Month

Myths and stereotypes of blacks were perpetuated in our educational institutions. I remember in fifth grade, during our required daily hour of reading, a teacher recommended a book that left a lasting impression on me. The theme of the book suggested that slaves were better off being slaves in the South than they were being free in Africa. Even as a 10-year-old, I was stunned that such a falsehood would be foisted upon children in a classroom. Although this episode occurred more than 60 years ago and strides have been made in updating curriculums to reflect reality, much needs to be done to fully educate our youth on black history. African-American education is something that should not be limited to just teaching about heroes and holidays. Even the civil rights movement has been reduced to an emotional eruption of saintly African-Americans led by a dozen inspired leaders rather than taught as an extraordinarily complex, persistent, intellectually driven social movement. [more]