Teaching Power Not Just Pain in United States Black History

Martin P. Smith

Vol. 4 2025

Abstract

By empowering students to understand historiography, think critically, and do their own research, including first peson accounts, my college students gained a more holistic understanding of Black history, instead of a history centering on death and devastation.

     A Civil Rights tour inspired me to make additions to my teaching.The 2018 tour, which I co-created and led, was for Duke University teacher preparation program students, and funded through Duke’s Immerse Experiential Learning initiative.Traveling through North Carolina, Alabama, and concluding in Atlanta, we visited significant museums, civil rights landmarks, and educational centers, related to the Civil Rights Movement (for the trip itinerary, see Appendix A).

     While the entire trip was transformational, the Teaching for Tolerance (now called Learning for Justice) site in Montgomery, Alabama most profoundly impacted my teaching. Learning for Justice provided instructional resources, especially a documentary about the Children’s March, Mighty Times: The Children’s March (oscarmanhollywood, 2012).

     I love learning about Black history, especially social movements. I had seen photos from the Children’s March, but I was stunned; other than seeing photos, I knew nothing about the March, and never learned about it in college or my K-12 schooling. If I, as a Black man with three degrees, possessed no knowledge about this event, I wondered, “What do my college students, know about it? Is my lack of knowledge an anomaly?” Excited, I decided to show Mighty Times: The Children’s March to one of my classes. However, instead of merely watching and discussing the film, I implemented a more thought provoking educational experience.

Uncovering a More Complete United States Black History

    The class  “Race, Power and Identity from Ali to Kaepernick,” was taught in spring semester, 2020, as an elective for students with an Education minor. There were 31 students, and included both students minoring in Education and non-Education minor students. The students’ racial identities were: twelve Black students, eleven White, four Latino, and four Asian students.The unit consisted of two, 75 minute class sessions.

     Historiography. I began by introducing the concept of historiography—the study of how history is written, by whom, and the influence of perspective and bias (Joseph, 2013). Students quickly grasped the concept. I provided examples showing how interpretations of history differ depending on the author, starting with an analysis of the early history of Columbus “discovering” America and how that is written about and perceived very differently depending on the writer’s background (Native American versus European American). We also analyzed what occurred in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics from Black and White perspectives. 

Through the lens of historiography, the students recognized how systemic omissions distort historical understandings.

     Students were invited to share additional historical examples from their own schooling experiences using historiography as a lens (Hammond, 2018). I formatively assessed the degree of students’ understanding, by asking students to complete a written reflection answering:

“Is historiography important, why or why not? Use the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and Christopher Columbus historic events to support your stance.”

Students’ written reflections (Knaus, 2011; Hammond, 2018) confirmed their preliminary understanding of historiography and how it applied to what is written about Columbus and the 1968 Olympics.
 

Childen’s March and 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

     Polls. To begin the analysis of the Children’s March and the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing coverages, I first asked students to raise their hands, if they had heard of each event, tallying the responses after each question. I then facilitated a large group discussion, where students shared any details they remembered about both events. This activity served as a formative preassessment, revealing both what was familiar and what had been omitted in students’ prior education (Talley-Matthews & Wiggan, 2018). I specified, “Please don’t use any form of technology because it will hinder the learning experience. Can you agree to that?”

Raise your hand if you have heard of the Children’s March. What do you know?
Where did you learn about the event?
Why do you know so little or so much about this event?

After every question, I transcribed students’ responses and asked students to count the raised hands and ponder the lowered hands. We repeated this process, regarding the 16th Street Church Bombing, again without technology.

     As a follow-up, I conducted a post-assessment the following day, asking students to reflect on what they had learned after their research process and viewing the documentary, Mighty Times: The Children’s March.

     Since incorporating the 16th Street Church Bombing and Children’s March lessons, I have taught five fall and spring classes (30-36 students each) and seven summer classes (7-16 students each). Overall, no more than five students in any fall or spring class taught had heard of the Children’s March. Additionally, in two of the seven summer courses, no one had heard of the March.

In contrast, in every class at least 70% of my students heard of the 16th Street Church Bombing.

After the poll, I showed Mighty Times:The Children’s March and I asked a series of questions (Appendix B lists the questions.).

     Next, each group’s transcriber/note-taker shared their small group’s findings, with the entire class. As transcribers shared findings, I wrote a collective timeline and map of key actors and events on the whiteboard. It is imperative to highlight that the March preceded the Bombing, and the Bombing was retaliatory. The March was planned and executed out of the 16th Street Church. The March transpired in May 1963 and the bombing occurred in September 1963. (See Appendix C for a timeline of events related to the Children’s March). 

     Group work. I separated students into eight groups (seven groups of four and one group of three) and asked the students to search for information on The Children’s March and the 16th Street Church Bombing, focusing on first-person accounts (videos, interviews, books, and educational websites) (Michaelsen et al., 2023). Students were instructed to: prioritize first-person accounts; consult scholarly articles and credible educational websites; and evaluate source credibility. (Wikipedia was explicitly excluded.)

     In their small groups, students discussed their findings. I asked the students to compare what they remembered learning in school—or not learning. As they discussed their findings with peers, I walked around the class, listening to their conversations, and asking questions. The students discovered stark contrasts between what mainstream schooling presented and what they uncovered, particularly regarding the agency and resistance of Black individuals.

     With the scaffolding of my probing questions to the class, students independently concluded that traditional narratives often present Black people as perpetual victims, not as agents of change, and provide very limited information. Through the lens of historiography, the students recognized how systemic omissions distort historical understanding (Michaelsen et al., 2023). Lastly, we talked about what new knowledge students gained (Talley-Matthews & Wiggan, 2018).
 
      Second class. In the second class session, students viewed the documentary Mighty Times and participated in both a verbal reflection and a written exit ticket , which served as a post-assessment of their knowledge about the Children’s March and the 16th Street Church Bombing.

     Students continued their exploration of historiography, this time applying the concept directly to these two events. Using the Know-Want to Learn-Learned method, students documented the new information they had gained in a written post-assessment. The students identified the contrasting ways these events are understood by marginalized versus dominant societal groups. Building on their new knowledge, students reflected on how their new understanding of historiography challenged, reinforced, or expanded their previous perspectives on how Black history is taught (Michaelsen et al., 2023).

     Students’ reflection questions. I asked students to pose at least three lingering questions about historiography and the ways the bombing and March are taught Students critically questioned whether the emphasis on the trauma of the Bombing—without equal attention to the liberatory power of the Children’s March—is an intentional omission or a curricular oversight, especially given the March’s role in advancing the most comprehensive civil rights legislation in U.S. history.
 
      Deeper learning. Promoting deeper learning were activities, such as, taking historiography and using it to analyze, explain, and explore the differences of how dominant society writes about and discusses Birmingham’s Children March and the Bombing, versus how African American participants write about and discuss the same events. Evidence of the students learning was that they were able to highlight the need for historiography to adequately understand history through verbal (class discussion) and written (exit ticket reflection) evidence.

     Students demonstrated evidence of critical thinking and problem solving by explaining, via their writing, that to truly understand history, they must acknowledge and analyze historical occurrences from multiple perspectives paying particular attention to bias, intent, historical context and demographics. Lastly, students showed evidence of acquiring new knowledge – historiography, on their exit ticket, and they used the term to dissect the teaching and writing of 16th Street Church Bombing and the Children’s March.

     I incorporated summative assessment by including a historiography question on the midterm exam Students were asked to define historiography and apply it to analyze a specific historical event from our course readings that differs from the topics discussed in class. Students’ responses consistently demonstrated a strong grasp of historiography and the ability to transfer that knowledge to new contexts (Kibble, 2017).

Reflections

     I aim to ignite in students a passion for critical thinking, lifelong learning, asking tough questions, engaging with primary sources, and pursuing truth. Through my use of modeling and scaffolding, students began to recognize that Black history is often conveyed in ways that obscure deeper truths and broader context. My students gained crucial understanding of the Children’s March and surrounding events.

   Not only did students gain knowledge and insights about Black history and the Children’s March, they engaged in deeper learning. The knowledge, skills, and attitudes students acquired or strengthened are transferrable to other classes, subjects, jobs, careers, and situations. Students began to think critically about what they are and aren’t taught. In addition, students realized the importance of doing their own research, employing historiography, and studying first person accounts.

     Most impactful for students’ learning was first polling students, on what they had been taught about the Bombing and the Children’s March, as a preassessment. Then, with a written postassessment, having students compare their prior knowledge with their new findings, through the lens of historiography. Students were surprised to learn they knew so little, and they were eager to unpack why they knew more about the Bombing than the March and the ensuing implications. Also I used both pre and postsummative and formative assessments, including small and large group discussions, written reflections, and a midterm exam question—to gauge students’ understanding of the topics.

     To enhance the unit I could prepare, in advance, additional scaffold questions. Incorporate more written, individualized pre-assessment activities in session #1. Incorporate an additional, structured written reflection.

     Further I might ask students to identify a historical example that demonstrates how the telling of history can vary, based on racial, ethnic, gender, marginalized, dominant, or socioeconomic perspectives. Then, I would have them define historiography in their own words and select a historical event to teach its significance to a group of high school students. Their explanation would need to emphasize how multiple perspectives shape historical narratives, highlight what historiography reveals about the study of history, and create a list of critical questions needed to deepen understanding.

     Without teaching the Children’s March, in-depth, we deny students the opportunity to learn a blueprint of how change occurs, the power of Black youth activism, and instead, fallaciously, lead students to believe that change magically materializes, due to white benevolence, not systematic planning which takes time, strategy, and cohesion. By helping students engage critically, question dominant narratives, and appreciate the value of first-person perspectives, I guide them toward deeper, more transformational learning.
 

References

Brown, K. D., & Brown, A. L. (2010). Silenced memories: An examination of the sociocultural knowledge on race and racial violence in official school curriculum. Equity & Excellence in Education, 43(2), 139-154.

Hammond, J. W. (2018). Toward a social justice historiography for writing assessment. In M. Poe, A. B. Inoue, & N. Elliot (Eds.), Writing assessment, social Justice, and the advancement of opportunity. (pp.41-70).The WAC Clearinghouse.
 
Joseph, P. E. (2013). Introduction: Toward a Historiography of the Black Power Movement. In The Black Power Movement (pp. 13-38). Routledge.
 
Knaus, C. (2011). Shut Up and Listen: Teaching Writing that Counts in Urban Schools. Black Studies and Critical Thinking, Volume 7. Peter Lang New York. 29 Broadway 18th Floor,    New York, NY 10006
  
Michaelsen, L. K., Knight, A. B., & Fink, L. D. (Eds.). (2023). Team-based learning: A   transformative use of small groups in college teaching. Taylor & Francis

oscarmanhollywood. (2012). Mighty Times – The Children’s March [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c113fq3vh

Talley-Matthews, S., & Wiggan, G. (2018). Culturally sustaining pedagogy: How teachers can teach the new majority in public schools. Black History Bulletin, 81(2), 24-27.
 
 

 

Appendix A
Black History Civil Rights Tour

     The tour began at the Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth store, where we learned about the Greensboro Sit-in Movement. Next, we traveled to the Legacy Museum – the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama and learned the history of lynching. We also visited the Teaching for Tolerance (now called Learning for Justice) site in Montgomery, walked across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama and discussed Bloody Sunday. We concluded the tour in Atlanta, Georgia at a Sunday church service at Martin Luther King Jr.’s family church, Ebenezer Baptist.

Appendix B
Questions to For Students

1. What is your initial reaction to the video? Feelings and thoughts?
2. Why is it important to teach and know Black history?
3. What are your thoughts about the planning, organization, goals, and effectiveness of the March?
4. How does learning about the bombing but not the March socialize us?
5. Why do you think we learn about the bombing but not the March?
6. What does the bombing teach us about American society?
7. What does the March teach us about American society?
8. What does the bombing teach us about Black people?
9. What does the March teach us about Black people?
10. Why do we learn about death and devastation of the bombing but not the agency pertaining to the March especially when the March preceded the bombing, and the bombing was a direct response to the March?
11. How could knowledge of the March positively impact Black children regarding self-efficacy and how change occurs?
12. How could knowledge of the March positively impact the views of children of all races especially those who are not Black, about Black people?
13. What is the hidden curriculum teaching us?
14. How does historiography tie into the teaching of the bombing, but not the March?
15. What lessons do you take from this unit and how can you apply this to other
    aspects of your life?
16. Do you think the omission of the Children’s March from books, lessons, and
    curricula is intentional? Why or why not?

Appendix C
Children’s March and Related Events – Timeline

Martin P. Smith, PhD is an Associate Professor of the Practice at Duke University. Previously, Dr. Smith served as Director of Duke’s Secondary Teacher Preparation Program, Faculty Director of the DukeEngage Boston Summer Literacy Program, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Associate Vice Provost at Duke. Martin P. Smith can be reached at Mps51@duke.edu.