We Don’t Live Single Issue Lives: Examining Black Herstories in Digital Lesson Plans

Abstract

In this article we outline the importance of centering Black women as critical historical actors within social studies curricula and teaching. We explored the ways in which Black women were represented throughout 38 secondary lesson plans within the fully online National Women’s History Museum and discussed how traditional curricular content and tasks can erase or diminish the power, agency, and nuanced experiences of Black women in the past. We conclude by offering resources to challenge these narratives and to encourage all educators to honor the complexity of all women’s lives.

Notes

1 https://www.womenshistory.org/students-educators/digital-classroom-resources

2 While there were 42 total lesson plans labeled 6–12 grade, as of April 2020, we did not include the four secondary lessons on Indigenous women due to the added complexity of sovereignty.

3 Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection: https://blackwomenssuffrage.dp.la/

Black Women’s Oral History Project Interviews, 1976–1981: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/schlesinger_bwohp

Katherine Dunham Collection: https://www.loc.gov/collections/katherine-dunham/about-this-collection/?loclr=blogtea

4 The Myth-Busting History of Edna Griffin: https://www.civilrightsteaching.org/edna-griffin