Advocates push black history curriculum in city schools

Activists and elected officials gathered in front of P.S. 298 Wednesday to push for a black history curriculum in city schools.

Advocates say black history is an important part of American history and that it should not be confined to one month. They want all students from kindergarten through high school to have a full black history curriculum.

“Our children should no longer look at books that only have one ethnic group representative to the greatness of this country,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

The move comes on the heels of several controversial incidents, including two in the Bronx. One of them involves a teacher who was allegedly barred by her school's principal from teaching about the Harlem Renaissance. Another incident involved a white teacher at Middle School 118 stepping on the back of a black student in a lesson about slavery.  

"I call it cultural insensitivity and I also call it racism, and we have to end it in the year 2018," said state Sen. Jesse Hamilton.

Sen. Hamilton is sponsoring the bill to create a black history curriculum in the schools. It is currently being reviewed by the Senate’s Education Committee.