Black History Month: Ways to Engage
February is Black History Month, an opportunity each year to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and to recognize their central role in our community and society. The accomplishments of Black Americans are notable in the fields we serve as a school – teaching, counseling, school leadership, and educational research. Those accomplishments should be recognized and valued every day, and we set aside this month in particular to reflect on the sacrifices and hard work of Black Americans who have worked and continue to work to build a better future our society.
As we observe Black History Month in our School of Education (SOE), we are proud that our School has been an anchor for education in New York City. For decades we have educated professionals, produced transformational scholarship, and served the needs of New York City schools. Foundational to this work has been the contributions of the Black members of our community. Their efforts are central to improving lives by preparing deeply thoughtful, knowledgeable and highly effective teachers, administrators and counselors and to addressing existing societal inequities and injustices.
Ways to Engage
We encourage each of us to find ways to celebrate events throughout the month to acknowledge Black history in our community and urge our participation. Below are examples of ways to engage as individuals and as a community. You may use this as an entry-point into finding ways to engage.
- Participate in the 2023 Week of Action for Black Lives Matter at School.
- Learn about resources to support anti-racist practice compiled be members of our community and housed on the School of Education’s Equity and Advocacy web page.
- Consider joining the Student Council if you are a student.
- Attend events sponsored by the New York City Parks Department and the Public Library to celebrate Black history month.
- Visit our National Museum of African American History and Culture which offers an array of virtual programs this month, including an exploration of the impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
- Check out special events happening at the New York Public Library and at NYC Parks.
- The Gothamist, a non-profit newsroom from WNYC, also provides a llist of city-wide events during the month.
- Finally, there are many Black History Month Resources for Educators that can be found online, including the National Education Association (NEA)
We’ll continue to update this space with events planned for Hunter College and CUNY as they become available. Please let us know about your events during Black History month so we can post them to our News and Events section as well.
Illustration provided by flaticon.com.