Freedom is a key concept to study. Klaus Vedfelt via Getty ImagesWhenever I tell high school students in classes I visit that I appreciated learning about slavery as a child growing up in the Caribbean, they often look confused. Why, they ask, did I like learning about slavery given that it was so horrible and harsh? How could I value being taught about something that caused so much hurt and harm? That’s when I tell them that my teachers in St. Thomas – and my fourth grade history textbook – did
As some politicians try to shackle educators with restrictive laws, Raphael E. Rogers recommends using historical records to show the role that slavery played in the forming of a nation.
By Raphael E. Rogers
Clark University
Of all the subjects taught in the nation’s public school