In room 1428, during 6th hour, Dan Lamb teaches his Black History class. In this class, students are educated on many different African-American historical figures, movements and events. The course is designed just as any regular history course, but with a strict emphasis on black American history.
“It’s black history, but it’s also about recognizing the issues going on in the past, and learning about them so we don’t repeat them in the future,” senior Joshua Howell said.
Students learn about important historical events ranging from slavery in the 1800s to today. They cover the historical impact and resonating effects of these events.
“Right now, we’re learning about the LA riots in ‘92,” sophomore Jazmine Malone said. “It shows how the effects of a few cases can affect so many people. It destroyed the community and it cost a lot to build it back up, and not just in terms of money.”
Many of the things taught in this course continue to stay relevant to this day, regardless of if they happened 60 years ago, or three years ago.
“It’ll always be relevant, because these things keep happening,” Howell said. “You learn about something that happened 60 years ago, and then you learn about something that happened four years ago. You hear about police killing a black man in the 90s that starts a movement, and you hear about police killing a black man in the 2020s that starts a movement. It keeps being relevant because we keep not doing anything about it.”
There have been arguments regarding the usefulness of teaching this course in schools. Malone speaks on why it is so important that this class be taught.
“I think all ages and all races can learn something from black history,” Malone said. “It’s one thing to know the culture and history of your race as a black person, but it’s also important to recognize the inhumane things we’ve done to each other, and to be able to move on and build a better future.”
Howell shares the ways that learning black history has impacted him personally.
“I think it’s brought me a very deep understanding for my history, and me being black,” Howell said. “It’s shown me how grateful I am for the people who came before me who fought for civil rights, and fought for me to be here today. It’s not just regular history, these things are a part of us.”
The students are not the only ones learning anything, however. This is Lamb’s first year teaching this class, and he feels that his students teach him just as much as he teaches them.
“I’ve learned a lot through my student’s experiences, and what they tell me regarding the topics we cover,” Lamb said. “I’ve learned more in the last three months of teaching this class than I’ve probably learned in the last 24 years of just teaching U.S. History.”