Modern(a) Black History

Background:

​For this year’s Black History Month, I offered students a chance to honor Black Voices for their module 3 audio museum performance task (curricular project). Those options yielded some great stories even amidst a pandemic where most kids are phoning in their work, both literally and metaphorically. I tried to get students to choose an unsung hero meeting someone that they hadn’t studied in elementary school. Not only did this connect with our study of Native American voices, but it helps kids get out of the rut of thinking that February is only for Rosa Parks MLK Harriet Tubman and other herioc figures who have achieved almost mythological status. It helps re-calibrate so students realize that everything is political and that history is being made today and that you don’t have to be a household name to be honored. I used Bree Newsom as my example and our first Black History Honoree.

Students ended up finding wonderful examples of fun interesting serious and lesser-known black lives to celebrate in their audio museum projects. I added daily topics that related to the novel we are reading. When chapter 21 contained an allusion to a native trickster rabbit we looked at Brer Rabbit’s origin. Trying to find connections became fun for me.

​ I was especially happy when my appointment for my first pandemic shot happened on the same day as our final black history month 2021 honoree: Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. Not only was I able to show kids that I had just received the Moderna vaccine I was able to credit a North Carolina Black woman for it’s invention.

here’s how it went:

Set the stage
​ I started by trying to get them to pay attention because we are zoom and we are hybrid and it was Friday.
I said that our last black history month honoree’s life had a message for every single one of them, no matter color or gender. I told him that she was from North Carolina just like them, and that she is young just like them although they might think she’s old because she’s a grown-up ! And I told them her story was a good example of why black history month was still needed since I did receive that question and we all know that question is and omnipresent trope, whether it is asked aloud or not, by those who don’t see.
I thought all month how I would respond when the question was asked to me very innocently by a very young sixth grade white male. He is a darling child whose world is family and playing sports with the kids next-door. He is blessed to not be hurt by systemic issues in the larger world and it would be from to expect him to have taught himself. I didn’t want to have to get into systemic racism and sociological details or argue my would view. But none of that was necessary because in dr Corbett’s example the reasons were myriad And laid out in the course of a super quick video I found.

Show video clip

I am certain that by Black history month 2022 they will be even better video clips but I found this CBS Saturday morning clip. I fast forwarded to minute one and showed up until the Tuskegee syphilis study. In those few minutes, the clip highlighted:

Dr Corbett is a gifted scientist who led the team that discovered the Moderna Covid vaccine. (she is very humble in the video to credit her entire team) yet the video mentions that Black women like Dr Corbett are today statistically grossly under represented in the science fields.

This underrepresentation is evidence of current and persistent racism and sexism in academia, lab, and corporate cultures, topic topic discussed all over academic Twitter.

A black male administrator of her college speaks to the value of having Dr. Corbett‘s people skills, evident when she was just 17, in the sciences, some thing that is important to all of our health that we have doctors who understand people as well as microbes.

The program to mentor under representative scientists is lauded.

Her white male boss and mentor speaks in the video of having had to proactively counter those destructive influences in order to create a culture that would let all scientists thrive.

Dr. Corbett’s influence in counteracting distrust in marginalized communities is mentioned.

The logic of that continued distrust based on current medical bias as well as past unethical practices such as the Tuskegee study is mentioned.

Post video discussion and connection:

I actually had planned to stop the video prior to the Tuskegee study but had trouble clicking the pause button through the zoom screen- maybe that’s best because maybe it’s good that students knew that cultural distrust is not unfounded.

when I stopped screen sharing I tried to look them in the eyes/lens and said this is the message for all of you: Dr. Corbett is doing what she loves.
Dr. Corbett did listen when the world told her Black women aren’t scientists. I benefited from that when I got my Moderna shot today. If she had let go of her dream, all of the people who are getting the vaccine would be worse. And racism would’ve been the cause.
now no matter what color you are or gender you are everyone in here is struggling with something and struggling against something. The world is going to be tough but you are also a genius and you are gifted at something and the world needs you to do what you love.
you don’t have to love English but you can use it to achieve your dreams you don’t have to love science but you need to work so that you or in a position to achieve your dreams- whether your dreams are big or small! small dreams or big dreams are equally valid.
if Dr. Corbett had not had help to fight against those who are stopping her from her dreams I would not have been able to get vaccinated today.
Think of her when haters or life tries to stop you from your dreams- cause the world needs you to do them.

I ended with Langston Hughes‘s poem Harlem, to warn them of the danger of deferring the dream.

And that was our final black history month moment! Even though I won’t have a fresh Band-Aid on my arm for Black History Month 2022, I will continue to end Black history month with Dr. Corbett‘s story ,encouraging each year’s students to follow their dreams.