Infusing Black History into a Traditional Charlotte Mason Homeschool

Infusing Black History into a Traditional Charlotte Mason Homeschool | Heritage Mom

source: https://heritagemom.com/index.php/2020/04/02/infusing-black-history-into-a-traditional-charlotte-mason-homeschool/

There is no way to honestly and thoroughly study United States history without including black history, and I think most home educators would agree - at least the ones I spend time with.

The question becomes, "How much black history is enough?" and each parent will have to answer that question for themselves. For me, it's a bizarre query that leads me to wonder,

"How much white history is enough?"

I think black history is American history, white history is American history, and the history of America's indigenous peoples is most certainly American history. The list goes on, and there is no quota on any of it because I want my children to have as complete a picture of American history as reasonably possible. I feel that they're inseperable, so while I'm using the term here, I never mention "black history" as a subject in our homeschool. It's simply history.

Without having a numerical goal in mind, I work (and it is certainly labor) to ensure that a significant amount of our United States history studies include dedicated examination of the experiences and contributions of black people in this country. Here is my approach to U.S. history:

A general American history book. Most focus on white people and their experiences but are sprinkled with tales of black people and other people of color. The stories included are worthy tales of people and the decisions they made that explain so much about our country and how it came to be. General Black American history books. These books focus on what black people were doing and experiencing during the time period being studied. I have yet to find a single tome that encompasses all, or even most, of what I want to share with my kids, so I typically use several books to carry us through the year. Historical fiction. I schedule books with protagonists of various backgrounds, but we always have at least one book with predominantly black characters or significant black experiences going along with the others. Biographies. As with historical fiction, I schedule biographies on a wide range of people from the time period we're studying, but at least every other biography the children read is about a person of color - usually black but not always. Picture study, composer study, poetry, hymns, folk songs. I mix in black artists, poetry, and music along with the (mostly white) recommendations generally provided by Charlotte Mason curriculum providers, experts, and other moms. Field trips. I don't see robust discussions regarding field trips in many Charlotte Mason circles, but they have always been an integral part of our homeschool. Nothing makes my heart sing like a top-notch historical field trip that brings to life what we've been reading.

This school year my family is studying modern history (1900 - present), but we started with parts of the late 1800s that we didn't quite finish up last year. Here is an overview of my specific program (*Follow asterisk links for lesson details):

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General American history book: Stories of America, Volume 2. I wasn't originally sold on this book. Honestly, I ended up with it because I ran out of time and couldn't find anything better, but I have been really pleased. The chapters are the perfect length, and the stories are always engaging and memorable. It doesn't sling around a bunch of random dates or try to fit in every detail of each scenario. It's never boring, and even I always learn something (usually many things) new each time we read it. I've been happy with everything I've ever gotten from Simply Charlotte Mason, and I'm glad I got "stuck" with it because it's been a great fit.

General Black American history books:

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. We picked up with Chapters 7-12 as we covered the first half of the book last school year. Topics covered include The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, Women's Rights, Great Depression, World War II, Black inventors, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement. This book provides a high-level overview - not a detailed account - so it's a great way to introduce a deeper study. The illustrations are phenomenal and infused with much emotion. The Unfinished March: The History of the Negro in the United States, Reconstruction to World War I. Published in 1967 by Zenith Books which set out to "present the history of minority groups in the United States and their participation in the growth and development of the country," this book is a poignant and honest look at some very dark years for black people in America. It's not a good choice for gently introducing black history; it's better saved for when you're ready to "get real," and I was ready, so I loved it. It's a more intriguing and less dense read than Time of Trial below, so it's nice that it comes first chronologically if you choose to read both. Term 1 book. Time of Trial, Time of Hope: The Negro in America (1919 to 1941). The time period covered by this book partially overlaps with The Unfinished March above and they share a publisher, but the authors are different, so the perspectives and emphases are unique. It moves from the return of the black soldiers of the 369th Infantry from France in 1919 to Harlem, to the March on Washington in 1940 to demand the abolition of discrimination in all government departments, the army, navy, air corps and national defense jobs on the eve of World War II. It goes into the causes of the Great Migration and the Great Depression, describes the gains on artistic, political, labor fronts-the Harlem Renaissance, the New Deal "Black Cabinet," and more (description edited from Kirkus). There are a few boring paragraphs in the book (lists of random names or too many acronyms). Term 2 book.

The Civil Rights Movement for Kids. "...children will discover how students and religious leaders worked together to demand the protection of civil rights for black Americans. They will relive the fear and uncertainty of Freedom Summer and learn how northern white college students helped bring national attention to atrocities committed in the name of segregation, and they'll be inspired by the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X." We're just beginning Term 3, and we'll be doing an in-depth study on the Civil Rights Movement for the entire term. I've done my best to review many options online, and I'm hopeful and excited about this one. The format is entirely different than our Term 1 & 2 narratives above, and though I'd hoped to find a similar book for this term, I truly was not able to find what I'd envisioned. It is unlikely that we'll pursue many of the activities in the book, but we'll see. I'll update here with my opinion once we've read it. Term 3 book. [Warning: This book has strong cursing (repeating an evil thing that was said to someone) on page 128.] Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970. "In this groundbreaking and absorbing book, credit finally goes where credit is due - to the bold women who were crucial to the success of the civil rights movement. From the Montgomery bus boycott to the lunch counter sit-ins to the Freedom Rides, Lynne Olson skillfully tells the long-overlooked story of the extraordinary women who were among the most fearless, resourceful, and tenacious leaders of the civil rights movement." Term 3 mama book. Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s Through the 1980s. "In this monumental volume [the authors] draw upon nearly one thousand interviews with civil rights activists, politicians, reporters, Justice Department officials, and hundreds of ordinary people who took part in the struggle, weaving a fascinating narrative of the civil rights movement told by the people who lived it." Term 3 mama book.

Freedom's Daughters and Voices of Freedom are books that I purchased for myself. Honestly, I'm learning black history right alongside my children. They know more now than I knew when I graduated from college, and I'm committed to continuing my own education in order to help lead them well. Voices of Freedom is a companion book to the documentary Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years which I purchased for my family to watch throughout Term 3.

Note:

Due to the length and depth of the civil rights books I bought for myself, I'm certain that I won't even come close to completing them this term. I'll select the chapters with info I'd like to share with my kids for this year, and I'll continue to work through the books in future years. Eventually, I'll turn them over to the children to read themselves when they're older.

Historical fiction. This is, by far, my absolute favorite category, and I know my children would agree. They beg for our historical fiction read alouds at bedtime which I find hilarious (because I hated history growing up) as well as insanely gratifying. I've found incredible richness across nearly all the stories we've read this year! I have so much to say about this that it needed its own post, so you can read about some of my top picks for African American Historical Fiction here.

Biographies & Civil Rights Spine

(Voices of Freedom and Freedom's Daughters are my adult books)

Biographies. So many people, so little time. I choose the biographies for each term, my children read them silently or aloud, and they narrate. I've found that they can generally only read 1-2 per term, depending on the length and their interest. That gives us 3-6 biographies a year, per child.

I try to pick a variety of people - those who served the Lord faithfully, are likely to come up in common conversation, overcame great adversity, beautifully pursued a passion, or represent a broader group of people or significant time period.

My independent readers often read about the same people, but they read different books because of their disparate reading levels. This year, they have read or are reading about the following people along with FDR, Helen Keller, The Wright Brothers, and more:

George Washington Carver MLK Jr. (preceded by Gandhi) Zora Neale Hurston Claudette Colvin Dr. Charles Drew Multiple people from Heroes in Black History: True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes - Contains short bios with a few stories of each hero. I didn't assign this book, but one of my kids likes it and reads it on her own sometimes. I used this book for ideas of full biographies to purchase for our home library.

I often read picture books with my emerging reader (but my big kids always want to join in even though they've heard them before). Our latest reads are:

Picture study: Romare Bearden* (Term 1), Jacob Lawrence* (Term 2)

Composer study: We spent Term 2 studying Scott Joplin.*

Poetry: Along with regular readings from Favorite Poems Old and New, we read poems from Effie Lee Newsome* (Term 1) and Langston Hughes (Term 2). For Term 3, we're reading from Golden Slippers, An Anthology of Negro Poetry for Young Readers. Families with older students may also enjoy The Poetry of Black America: Anthology of the 20th Century. We own this and will use it at some point, but I decided to hold off on it until my kids are older because so many of the poems have mature themes. I could go through it and hand pick good ones for this term, but it's easier to just use Golden Slippers.

Folk songs: We've been singing a lot of Elizabeth Cotton* this year. We'll sing one of her songs, move on to something else, and then jump back into another one of her songs. They're simple to learn but fun to sing. I've even caught my preschooler humming her catchy tunes.

*Follow links for lesson details

Hymns: I hate to call certain hymns "black" and others "white" because in many cases, the lyrics are identical, but the musical treatment is different. Although, there are certain hymns that I hear when black folks are praising the Lord and certain ones I only hear when worshipping with white folks. We like them all, so we sing them all.

I basically just make sure my kids learn lots of hymns sung the "black" way (I'm cringing & giggling simultaneously because I'm sure there's a better way to discuss all of this, but I'm just being honest).

Hymns are an important part of our shared Christian experience, but I grew up hearing the black versions sung at church and by my family members, and I want to pass them down to my children that way. My great aunts and uncles broke out into soulful song during our family reunion just last summer, and I loved watching my kids comfortably join in. There is nothing like worshipping Him as a family.

I've not heard anyone mention contemporary praise & worship music as part of school lessons, but I occasionally include it right along with the traditional hymns - especially those that sample from old hymns. Example: After learning It Is Well With My Soul, we learned It is Well by Kristene DiMarco. So basically, we mix it up - black, white, old, new - all of that.

Field trips. I could write a whole post about every field trip, but for the sake of time, I'll just list a few of our best black history field trips so far this year:

Fight for Your Rights: The History of African-American Progress (Atlanta History Center) - "Do you have what it takes to be a Freedom Fighter? Looking back on history, it's easy for students to say they would have been a Civil Rights activist. But the decision gets harder when they are confronted with real-time decisions that require them to show courage, determination and the discipline to stick together in a non-violent struggle. By participating in historical simulations that employ museum theatre, students will unite together in a sit-in at Lester Maddox's Pickrick Restaurant, travel courageously into the Deep South on a Freedom Ride, and register to vote after a rousing call to action by John Wesley Dobbs. This school tour is more than a mere explanation of a past movement for progress, this program empowers students with skills they can use to create the change they hope to see in today's world." Special exhibition featuring the art of famous African-American artist, Romare Bearden (The High Museum of Art) - "In 1978, Romare Bearden launched an autobiographical project organized by the decades of his life. The Profile series begins with Bearden's earliest memories as a boy in North Carolina in the 1910s and concludes with his life as a young artist in Harlem in the early 1940s."Something Over Something Else": Romare Bearden's Profile Series is the first reassembling of the Profile exhibitions. A majority of works in the series are brought together in their original order and exhibited with the text as Bearden first intended. Following the Bearden exhibit, we will continue with a "Celebrate Black History" tour highlighting work by other African-American artists in the museum collection. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Uniquely American (Woodruff Arts Center) - "This concert will give you a first-hand listen to uniquely American Music. We will celebrate the melting pot of American classical music with a diverse mix of some of the most influential and groundbreaking American Composers such as Amy Beach, Charles Ives and George Chadwick. We are excited to also feature the Overture from Treemonisha by Scott Joplin, orchestrated by Dr. T.J. Anderson. Treemonisha was last presented by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under our current Music Director Robert Spano in 2005 and first premiered with Maestro Robert Shaw in 1972. Celebrate the history of uniquely American music along with a celebration of how Atlanta and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra made history 47 years ago with the premiere of Treemonisha." Alvin Ailey Performance (Fox Theatre): "The mission of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation is to further the pioneering vision of the choreographer, dancer, and cultural leader Alvin Ailey by building an extended cultural community which provides dance performances, training and education, and community programs for all people. This performing arts community plays a crucial social role, using the beauty and humanity of the African-American heritage and other cultures to unite people of all races, ages and backgrounds."

There you have it. This is a down-and-dirty look at how I infuse our learning with black history. It's not a beautifully written plan (Don't I wish I had the time to make it pretty!), but it's my attempt at using the resources I've found to introduce ideas relevant to our family and culture because as I've said so many times, "In my home, Charlotte Mason wears an afro."

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