By Reverend Jesse Turner
Editor, The Commercial:
No matter how thin the pancake is, it has two sides; therefore, the Woodson Center Lesson teaches our scholars the whole story of Black History, the good, bad, and ugly. Teachers across the country love teaching their students stories of Black History, using the Woodson Center Lessons that we hope Arkansas teachers will enjoy as well.
Many Arkansas teachers have never heard of the Rosenwald Schools, which closed the literacy gap among Black children in the span of two generations. Some do not know that Brown v. Board of Education, which integrated schools, ended them.
The Tulsa Race Massacre, one of U.S. history’s most violent and destructive racial conflicts, is often highlighted. However, the other side of the story is that Black residents rebuilt their neighborhoods in only four years, only to lose everything again to urban renewal.
Recently, PBICVR, Arkansas’ Community Affiliate Network, submitted a resource for state school districts to the Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva, and he agreed to use the Woodson Center Lessons as another tool for teachers.
These powerful lessons are an untapped, accessible, and downloadable resource that offers life experiences from largely unknown, heroic African-American figures from the past and present who triumphed over adverse conditions. This resource also includes eye-opening help for the next generation to develop character-based strengths like resiliency, optimism, tough-mindedness, and courage, most associated with human flourishing.
The Woodson Center Lessons are great to utilize anywhere children’s character formation occurs, whether in schools, camps, after-school programs, churches, or homes. Black History should make our scholars better and not bitter. Woodson Center Curriculum Webinar – Aug. 8, 2023 is available on YouTube.
The free downloadable Woodson Center Lessons are perfect for teaching Black History in Arkansas schools.
Rev. Jesse C. Turner, executive director,
Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration Inc.