Black History Month presents an opportunity
It's February and I sit with a box of books. I'm selecting some read-aloud stories to share with children — stories for Valentine's Day, biographies of presidents, and my favorite black history selections. These stories of the human struggle for fairness, justice and freedom stir the souls of young children as much as they rekindle the fire in mine.
In these times of emphasis on "moral values," Black History Month presents opportunities for us to honestly reexamine our values and integrity. Are we merely giving lip service to the principles of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as well as "with freedom and justice for all?" Do we honor and promote these values in our relationships? Would we have the courage to stand up to the culture of power and say, "The way I am being treated is unjust and it cannot continue?"
Black History Month, officially designated by the federal government in the mid-1970s, has roots going back to 1926 when historian Carter G. Wood son designated a week in February as Negro History Week. But the only history I learned in my youth was written by the white culture of power.
Campus rallies for the civil rights movement and black studies programs pushed me to confront discrepancies between this nation's principles and the treatment of millions of citizens in my efforts to understand the long and sometimes violent civil rights chapter in U.S. history. I find our library a wonderful starting place. Children's storytime will offer stories with human rights/black history themes. See the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force display celebrating the black contribution to American literature. Through a sampling of black writers, the display attempts to show the range in time, 1770s to the present, and the scope of literary genres in which blacks have written,
Ask staff to help you select family friendly videos with black history written into the script . Look through the musical selections for black artists and those with Afro-American influence. African music provides a foundation for much of the music in the world.
Check TV listings for the PBS series "Slavery and the Making of America" in two two-hour segments, Wednesdays, Feb. 9, and Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. (Channel 7-Spokane) and look for programs on HBO and the History Channel. Computer Web searches of "black history" results in hundreds of links and resources. For example, go to www.tolerance.org and inmotionaame.org.
From my son. a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, West Africa, I'm learning history that connects us to this African nation. Senegal is the African country closest to the U.S., and Goree Island was the last spot of motherland visible to the slaves bound for the Americas.
I return to my books. A treasured "teachable moment" comes to mind. Some years ago 14 preschoolers and I had finished sharing a story about Rosa Parks and her courage to sit in the front of the bus. We moved to the snack table for celery logs and milk. Eliza pondered her celery stick full of peanut butter and the raisins, mini white marshmallows and Cheerios. She decorated her celery with the marshmallows on one end and raisins on the other. Once finished, she announced, "Mrs. T., Look! It's the bus and Rosa Parks has to sit back here." Then she rearranged the marshmallows and raisins in side-by-side pattern of white, dark, white, dark …
As a teacher, I continually witness children's moral clarity and capacity to offer respect, dignity, honesty and compassion. Awareness of the civil rights movement came late in my youth. It is my responsibility to inspire generations of children to embrace these positive values throughout their lives. May this month of reflecting, learning and living these true moral values and human rights for all people extend to every month of the year.
MARY TOLAND
Sagle
Mary Toland is a board member of the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force.