As February marks the month to commemorate Black history, many teachers at Berkeley High School reflect on the idea that Black history should be appreciated every month of the year. In History, Government, and English classes at BHS, there are various ways that teachers connect lessons to the influence of Black culture.
Rebecca Villagran teaches Berkeley International High School (BIHS) history and Chicanx History at BHS. She spoke about the way that Black history and culture greatly influences her subject area. “My main topic, especially (in) my IB history class, is looking at rights, protests, democracy, and authoritarianism, and I think the only reason why there has ever been functioning democracy in the United States has to do with the Black liberation movement,” Villagran said.
Villagran herself did research about what to include in the curriculum for her class and came across the works and ideas of Frederick Douglass, an influential African American abolitionist from the 19th century. “The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments … are because of the work of Frederick Douglass,” Villagran said, “I really believe that he’s one of the most important people that’s ever lived.”
Villigran highlighted how important it is for students to learn from a variety of perspectives. Villagran believes that Black culture can be tied into any historical event that she has taught, though it is more emphasized in some than others. “We did a huge unit on the Vietnam War (and we looked) at the impact of Martin Luther King (and) his Beyond Vietnam speech,” Villagran said.
Villagran is not alone among teachers at BHS who deeply believe in the importance of the inclusion of Black culture and perspectives in the education of BHS students. Susan Warren teaches AP American Government and has also taught U.S. History, World History, and Ethnic Studies. “Since I first started teaching history … it was very clear to me that there were so many voices that were left out of textbooks of the dominant historical narrative,” Warren said, “so it was really important to me when I first started teaching to seek out those voices.”
Warren wants her students to be informed about the reality of our world including the history and aspects of our government. “It’s really important that you’re finding … the untold stories, whether that’s the Black Panther Party, Stokely Carmichael, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or Angela Davis,” Warren said, “These are some of the stories and some of the voices that I like to bring into my U.S. History class, in particular, because it just gives students a more full picture,” Warren said.
Amanda Moreno teaches BIHS English for 12th graders at BHS. In recent years, Moreno has worked to incorporate more Black authors and works by Black individuals into her everyday class and curriculum. “The rhetoric in the United States has become around (the idea that) if students feel uncomfortable, we should not teach these things … but learning is uncomfortable… learning about these experiences which we (may not) identify with or we can’t understand is such a gift,” Moreno said, “Learning how to be uncomfortable is so important because when you go out into the real world … you’re going to read and see these things, and you want to be equipped with how to feel uncomfortable and learn something from your discomfort.”
Efforts from BHS teachers such as Villagran, Warren, and Moreno help diversify the classroom learning experience for all of the students by utilizing Black culture, work, and history so that students can be exposed to several varying perspectives and broaden their understanding of these important social and academic topics.