A new bill dedicated to adding in a Black history and literature course to high schools was introduced to the Missouri House chamber late last week.
Supported by Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, the House Bill, identified as House Bill 2965, aims to add in one unit of Black history courses and one unit of Black literature courses to the graduation requirement for high school students. The curriculum will be developed by the State Board of Education, resulting in age-appropriate lessons for students. Per Bosley, books such as “The Color of Law” and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” should be introduced to the literature course.
Throughout the hearing, no opposition to the bill was recorded, but representatives highlighted potential issues for transfer students. Representatives also opened the floor to developing potential curricula for Latino American and Native American history further down the line.
“Too often Black history is treated as a brief unit, a sidebar or something only highlighted during a single month,” Bosley said per the Missouri Press Association. “But Black history is not separate from American history. It is American history. When students are not exposed to this history in a meaningful way, they are missing critical context about our laws, our institutions, and our shared experiences.”
In the U.S., there is a lack of Black history courses in grades K-12. As of today, only 12 states have Black history mandates. These states include Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington.
With the recent DEI rollbacks, Black history lessons were all under attack as the U.S. Department of Education threatened to cut back public funding if public schools and universities did not eliminate diversity initiatives.
As a result, several content creators began uploading Black history courses on social media to educate students.
Last year, Dr. Leah Barlow founded HillmanTok, an online HBCU that was set up on TikTok. In late January, Dr. Barlow posted a welcome message on the platform for her 36 students, introducing them to her African American Studies course at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The video went viral, reaching nearly 4 million people, many of whom expressed interest in the course.
Other educators and experts took inspiration from Dr. Barlow, creating 10-minute lesson plans and going on TikTok’s live feature for longer sessions. The group of content creators and teachers expanded to create HillmanTok.
Since its inception, HillmanTok has grown exponentially, moving to a website of its own. Topics covered included Black history courses alongside Forensic Pathology, Gardening and Organic Chemistry.
