HAMPTON — Standing at Fort Monroe last weekend, Gov. Ralph Northam noted the role that the historic site played in the institution of slavery in the United States — reflecting both its beginning (with the arrival of the first captive Africans at Point Comfort in 1619) and its end (with escaped slaves finding freedom as human contraband during the Civil War).
He also noted how poorly this chapter of American history has been taught in public schools, calling it “insufficient and inadequate." Stressing that “black history is American history,” he announced his freshly signed executive directive to establish a Commission on African American History Education in the Commonwealth that will be tasked with reviewing and improving the way these lessons are taught in public schools.
Renita Williams, secondary social studies supervisor for Newport News Public Schools, is one of 39 people on that commission, and she is looking forward to the challenge.
“With the Standards of Learning and the SOL testing, there’s always the concern that history will become just the memorization of a bunch of names and dates," Williams said. “I think part of what the commission is doing is going to be that fresh set of eyes looking for opportunities to put it more in context so that the students are truly learning the whole story.”
It remains at an early stage — the commission has not yet had its first meeting — but educators on the Peninsula are expressing optimism at what could come out of this effort.
For the past two years, the 2019 Commemorative Commission has hosted seminars at Hampton University for teachers who wanted to work the details of 1619 into their lesson plans. Now the governor is laying out a plan to improve the way such lessons are taught.
Kiersten Wright, who teaches social studies at Gildersleeve Middle School in Newport News, is encouraged by the makeup of the governor’s commission. Scanning the list of names, she sees more than three dozen men and women with a wide variety of expertise. Many are classroom educators, but there is also, for example, Vanessa Thaxton-Ward, director of the Hampton University Museum, and Michelle Thomas, a Loudon County pastor and president of that country’s branch of the NAACP.
“It’s exciting to me that there are so many professionals there — not just in education, but in history, too,” Wright said. “When you can get that many voices and perspectives together at the table, it feels like a great way to come up with ideas and resources that are very well thought-out.”
Northam’s executive order requires a report from the commission by next July with recommendations such as “technical edits to and recommendations for enriched standards related to African American history, broader considerations for the full history and social studies standards review process, and necessary professional development and instructional supports for all teachers to ensure culturally competent instruction.”
Alma Dietz, curriculum leader for social studies in Hampton City Schools, was not prepared to speculate about what the committee would ultimately recommend but said educators must always be looking for ways to develop and improve their curricula.
Dietz said teachers throughout Virginia have worked together to find the most effective ways to teach history in a manner that connects to the students.
“We’ve worked in committees to come up with activities that would resonate across the state,” she said. “There are all kinds of different ideas, and when you get this collaboration and diversity into the mix, we can all get better at what we do.”
Kellie Goral, executive director of public relations for Hampton City Schools, said Hampton was the first division to get 100 percent of its schools participating in last weekend’s 1619 Commemoration and the events leading up to it.
That proximity to American history — from Jamestown and Yorktown to Point Comfort and the Emancipation Oak — is a valuable resource for local teachers, Williams said. Many students on the Peninsula have visited these historic sites, either on field trips or with family, and every student can benefit from the understanding that critical moments in history occurred just outside their doorways.
“Anything that brings relevance to these students helps," Williams said. "If they can look around and see where history happened, it makes it that much more real for them."
It is not clear how soon the influence of Northam’s commission will be felt — whether changes recommended next July will be worked into the curriculum for the subsequent school year.
But Wright believes the commission’s work will have a positive impact.
“I don’t know what it will look like at the end, but it’s exciting to see so much thought and consideration and care put into making these lessons meaningful to our students,” Wright said. “I want kids to feel like class reflects them. The more stories they hear, the better they’ll understand the history we’re trying to teach them.”