Reimagining the Future of Learning

In the 1920s, there was a Black man named Alain Locke, born in Philadelphia who was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Alain Locke, who taught at Howard University in Washington D.C., cultivated a rich environment of Black creatives to ignite the movement of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theatre, and politics, that was centered in Harlem, Manhattan, but had a significant influence in all realms of American art and elsewhere. The Harlem Renaissance and Alain Locke are critical aspects of history that created the cultural landscape of modern American art. However, if asked what they know about these figures, students in American high schools would likely not know much.  Discussing the significance of the Harlem Renaissance compared to the focus it is given in schools, leads to the question of why students are not taught about this rich ...

In fall 2020-winter 2021, a group of seven high school students from Des Moines Public Schools worked with the Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator and Equity Coordinator for the school district to create eight new social studies courses centered around marginalized communities and anti-racism. The goal of this project was to come up with a final product of courses that would be used in the 2021 school year for elective social studies credit. While this may have been the overarching goal, these students had visions of their own for what they wanted. Students of color and those from other underrepresented communities have spent their entire educational lives sitting in classrooms with peers who don't look like them, teachers who don't look like them, and learning material that does anything from dehumanizing, or completely erasing, their identities. So with these courses, the students wanted to decolonize the curriculum and focus on the rich and powerful cultures and histories ...

    Our history classes are unsurprisingly racist. There's a disproportionate focus on eurocentric stories, eurocentric history, and eurocentric people, which is dangerous. It gives credibility to the unjust racism plaguing our society today. Many people know of or have heard of Albert Einstien, Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire but know nothing of some of the most important historical figures like Frederick Douglas, Mansa Musa, or the Kingdom of Kush.   The history we do have is racist. It is riddled with all sorts of misconceptions that perpetuate racist ideas. The idea that Black people come from nothing, the idea that Black people were just "spear chuckers", the idea that Black people were uncivilized, the idea that Black people were poor. Most dangerous of all, there's a misconception that Black history starts with slavery. Every single one of those is a blatant lie. Even now you may have some skepticism about the claim that all of those are lies. You mig...

   Who is the richest person of all time? Many will be quick to jump to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as two of the richest men on earth. But in all reality, the richest man on earth is someone who is rarely ever mentioned. This man was so rich Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates combined could not touch his wealth. He was so rich when he went to other countries his presence destabilized their economies. Today it is believed that Africa is a place of immense poverty and exotic animals, inhabited by tribal savages. Those that are educated know better, but this idea of Africa as a starving uncivilized continent has been burned into the minds of American students. Being that the continent is supposedly a land of savages, it is not surprising the idea that Africa has no place in history is so widespread, often being referred to as 'the dark continent' in reference to the supposed lack of history. So what does this have to do with the richest person of all time? It may be shocking to find out th...