Adding an All Year Long Black History Class to High School Curriculum

Abstract

<p>Using qualitative research design, with three Black youth participants who are in grade 10-12 and have attended high school in Ontario, this study answered the main research question “What are the perspectives of Black students about adding a year-long Black History class into high school curriculum?” This research seeks to understand the extent of Black history content incorporated into the school curriculum i.e., if Black history is taught, at all, frequency and duration in high schools. The study used ethnography research design in order to understand and shed light on the cultural experiences and meaning making responses of three Black youth between the ages of 16-21 years old about their high school curriculum. Ethnography is salient for this study because it works best for people who share similar experience and culture. Due to COVID-19, semi-structured interviews, using five open-ended questions were conducted on the Zoom platform, to answer the main research question. This paper discusses how Black students feel about Black History Month, and their opinions about adding a year-round Black history class to learn (and teach) about the histories of Black people. Afrocentric theory and perspectives were used to frame this research as they help facilitate conversations about historical trauma and racial disparities (Whitehead, 2018). This study has the potential to provide race-based data to advance advocacy for enhancing the current high school curriculum, informing meaningful pedagogical practices and contributing to the arguments for hiring more Black teachers in high schools to meet the needs of Black students and align with the demographic composition of schools in Ontario.</p>