D.C. Principal allegedly fires three social studies teachers for teaching Black History

Three social studies teachers at a D.C. public charter school, Howard Middle School of Mathematics and Science, located on the campus of Howard University, were fired for teaching black history lessons beyond what is in the normal curriculum. The teachers were fired and escorted out of the building by police in front of their students, even after all three of the teachers gave their two weeks notice the week prior.

Principal Angelicque Blackmon confronted all three with pink slips and made a spectacle of the teachers for supposedly teaching too much Black History. According to the parents, the children were left crying and confused, upset that they couldn’t even say goodbye to their teachers.

The school administration does not want the social studies teachers to teach African-American history. We are on the campus of an HBCU [Historically Black Colleges and Universities]. We need to know our culture; the school is 90-percent African American.
-Shannon Settle (Parent)

“Parents are outraged and say it is unacceptable for a school located on the campus of a historically black university to not encourage African-American history lessons in classrooms,” says Lateefah Bilal, a grandmother who heads Parents in Action, a Howard Middle School’s parent group.

If you know your culture, if you know from whence you came, it tends to build your self-esteem.

D.C. Council Education Committee member Anita Bonds and Council member Brianne Nadeau are thoroughly looking into the claims. Parents and the press have questioned the D.C. Public Charter School Board all this week and although they promised to release a statement, they have yet to release one.

-Infinite Wiz(@InfiniteWiz)