In this talk, I explore a need for society, in an effort to erase anti-Black philosophies in education, to engage with Black historical consciousness. Taking Steve Biko concept of Black consciousness and the theoretical framing of historical consciousness (mostly by Western thinkers), Black historical consciousness seeks to examine how people not only understand Black history but also, and maybe more prominent, what it means to be Black in a historic sense. Stated another way, Black history, within official school curricular spaces, typically presents a limited view of Black history and these narratives usually meet the criteria of liberal multiculturalism, where the narratives presented are safe and sanitized, usually ignoring more critical and racial analysis of Black history. Rarely are Black histories told from multiple Black perspectives, instead these narratives are only told if the history is deemed important within White epistemic historical frameworks. As our global society begins to ask, yet again, how we can end racism, the answer maybe to disassociate oneself with anti-black histories that prevent us to see Black people as total humans.
Dr. LaGarrett J. King is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin after an eight year teaching career in Georgia and Texas. His primary research interest examines how Black history is interpreted and taught in schools and society. He also researches critical theories of race, teacher education, and curriculum history.
Dr. King’s areas of expertise include:
- African American History Education
- Social Studies and Curriculum Foundations
- Race Critical Theories and Knowledge
- Critical Multicultural Teacher Education
He has also been published in scholarly journals such as Theory and Research in Social Education, Race, Ethnicity, and Education, Journal of Negro History, and Teaching Education.
