糖心动漫vlog
How I Fell in Love With Black History
Opinion
Social Studies Opinion

How I Fell in Love With Black History

By LaGarrett J. King 鈥� February 24, 2021 1 min read
Falling in love with Black history was a life-long process for Dallas high school social studies teacher and department chair Jania Hoover. In conversation with LaGarrett J. King, she discusses the class that awoke her to 鈥渢he possibility that we were even worthy of study鈥� and how that realization has informed her high school teaching career. Black joy must be a central part of changing the current failure of Black history education: Not only do we not talk about Black people enough in history, but when we do, it鈥檚 often only through the lens of pain and oppression. Hoover offers concrete advice for how to build your own content knowledge in order to bring that Black joy into the classroom.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL
LaGarrett J. King
LaGarrett J. King is the Isabella Wade Lyda and Paul Lyda Professor of Education and the founding director of the Carter Center for K-12 Black history education at the University of Missouri鈥檚 College of Education.

Falling in love with Black history was a life-long process for Dallas high school social studies teacher and department chair Jania Hoover. In conversation with LaGarrett J. King, she discusses the class that awoke her to 鈥渢he possibility that we were even worthy of study鈥� and how that realization has informed her high school teaching career.
Black joy must be a central part of changing the current failure of Black history education: Not only do we not talk about Black people enough in history, but when we do, it鈥檚 often only through the lens of pain and oppression. Hoover offers concrete advice for how to build your own content knowledge in order to bring that Black joy into the classroom.

Related Tags:
Race Instruction History

Events

Wed., January 28, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by 
Register
Thu., January 15, 2026, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by 
Register
Wed., January 21, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek鈥檚 nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.
Register
See More Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥� elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Social Studies Reported Essay Students Have Questions About Our Democracy. Is Civics Class Up to the Task?
How today鈥檚 messy political realities are crashing against traditional civics education.
Sarah Schwartz
•
10 min read
The outside world seeps into a civics classroom.
Islenia Mil for Education Week
Social Studies Why Some Civics Educators Are Afraid to Teach Their Subject
"They just don鈥檛 know in this new environment what they can and can鈥檛 say," said one civics education expert.
Sarah Schwartz
•
4 min read
Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a seventh grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024.
Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a 7th grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024. Civics teachers say they are struggling not to run into controversy when teaching core topics like the separation of powers as President Trump's administration continues to push constitutional boundaries.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Social Studies Opinion What Should Civics Instruction Look Like?
States should take four policy actions for a rigorous approach to civics in the classroom, an educator explains.
Rick Hess
•
6 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Social Studies A Hands-On Lesson in Civics Sees Surging Student Interest in the Age of Trump
The American Civil Liberties Union sees interest spike in its student advocacy institute, while conservative groups have their own programs.
Mark Walsh
•
10 min read
This summer, the ACLU expanded to three weeklong sessions of 300 students each, with participants coming from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, for the first time, Guam. Maddie Clements, 16, a rising junior at West Creek High School in Clarksville, Tenn. (center, ink hair) listens during Anu Joshi聮s immigration rights keynote which packed an auditorium at American University.
This summer, the ACLU expanded to three weeklong sessions of 300 students each, with participants coming from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, for the first time, Guam. Maddie Clements, 16, a rising junior at West Creek High School in Clarksville, Tenn. (center, with pink and purple hair), listens during Anu Joshi's immigration rights keynote.
Melissa Lyttle for Education Week
Load More 鈻�