Multicultural Education: More than the Acknowledgement of Black History Month

Authors

Owen Latimore

Abstract

I remember clearly as a child, in the early nineteen sixties, the only African American mentioned in my school was Crispus Attucks. For a long time I thought there was only one black man that fought in the entire revolutionary war. From the big old musty textbooks we were given to study it was obvious very few black people had accomplished anything worth writing about. I hated history. I thought its only concern were old dead white men. Understandably, I did not do well in history. Since 2005, enrollment in public schools has increased, but “Black males continue spiraling down the achievement ladder” (Whiting 2006). All children need to see themselves in the context of what they are learning (Stiler & Allen, 2006). They need to know that many of the things that affect current day thinking and living have emerged from an amalgamation of peoples. It is important for the students’ self-esteem and often can mean the difference between ritual compliance and full engagement (Baker, 2005).

Author's Biographies

Owen Latimore received a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Cleveland State University in Cleveland Ohio. He earned a Masters of Divinity degree at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. and a Doctorate of Ministry at Beacon University in Columbus, Ga. He teaches special education for students with severe emotional behavior disorders at Shaw high school while working toward a Masters of Education degree at Columbus State University.

This is an original work

1

This work has not been previously published

1

IRB approval verification

N/A

Recommended Citation

Latimore, O. (2008). Multicultural Education: More than the Acknowledgement of Black History Month. Perspectives In Learning, 9 (1). Retrieved from https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/pil/vol9/iss1/5