Teach inclusive history to improve education and understanding

Issue 6 • Week of February 20, 2022

History is important and context is more valuable than memorizing dates. Surmountable was founded on these ideals. We recognize Black History Month in February and strive to ensure a more inclusive education for everyone. Much progress has been made since the Black Campus Movement over 50 years ago when students first arose to demand more diverse studies, yet the continued exclusion of voices during the rest of the year has done our society a disservice.

Even before the pandemic and remote learning magnified discrepancies for students of color, education has been a growing concern. The problem is particularly glaring when concerning our understanding of the past. There have been no national guidelines on how to teach what happened before the modern era since the AP World History curriculum was edited down in 2018. Its arbitrary starting point of 1200 is actually a slight improvement since the new course originally started with the year 1450 until a petition was at least noticed (if not fully adopted). A far older challenge the country faces is that the least qualified educators of any subject often teach it.

How can we pass on a more accurate history to the next generation?