Can America Celebrate Black History Without Teaching It?

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Above: Jada Gill, 10, raises her hand to ask fifth-grade teacher Cindy Lieu a question, Sept. 21, 2016.

Black History Month is a time to celebrate black people who have and are shaping America. But, while black history is being celebrated during the month of February, it is excluded from many school history books.

Sara Clarke Kaplan is an associate professor of Ethnic Studies and Critical Gender Studies at UC San Diego, and a founder of the university's Black Studies Project.

"If we don't teach this material in schools we can't expect people to automatically go against all of their prejudices and beliefs they've been taught to actually understand the real conditions of life," Sara Kaplan said.

Kaplan joins Midday Edition Thursday to talk about the importance of black history and how Americans benefit from learning it.