There are added activities and lessons for Black History Month in Columbia schools, but Black history and culture is a part of lessons all year, school officials say.
Notable African Americans in history are sometimes emphasized in lessons during February, said Joy Bess, social studies coordinator for the school district. Sometimes kids, they can identify with people who come from run-of-the-mill backgrounds to go on to do something great, Bess said.
Some students have built-in lessons in their buildings, Bess said. There s Muriel Battle High School, next to Eliot Battle Elementary School, educational leaders who worked for desegregation in schools. Beulah Ralph Elementary School was named for a Black educator and community leader. Frederick Douglass High School is named for the famous Black abolitionist. Lange Middle School is named for Black entrepreneur John B. Lange Sr.