Many high school students are usually preoccupied with fitting in and keeping their heads above never-ending tests and due dates.
The course is currently offered at both Cherry Hill high schools -- West and East -- only as an elective. “I was sad. Also, in disbelief, shock and, primarily, I felt isolated,” Randall said. “Eventually, those feelings kind of turned into action.”“We were definitely inspired by the rising action across the nation,” Randall said. “Once we saw even local activists start to take action as well, we just needed our voice and we just needed to push for what we wanted.”Joseph Meloche, a Cherry Hill native, has been superintendent of the school district for six years.
PHOTO: The director of curriculum, Dr. Farrah Mahan, recognizes the flaws in today’s history courses. “Growing up, it was a bit difficult to see that I wasn't really represented in the classroom or in the media,” Zhou said. “Or, if I was represented and my people were represented, it was often portrayed in a more one-dimensional or stereotypical manner.
“There definitely has been backlash in terms of folks interpreting the movement as against white authors,” Nguyen said. “[It’s] really important to highlight [that] we're not so much saying that we don't want these works of literature. I like to see it not so much as subtracting from [a] curriculum, [but rather] as expanding our perspectives and our horizons.”
The charter school is no longer allowing parents to opt their children out of its Black History Month curriculum after coming under fire for initially giving families the option to do so. A few parents had requested the exemption from the instruction but later withdrew their requests.
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Racists
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Machayla: “Right now … we're asking for a mandatory African American studies course at the high school level that encourages teaching of systematic racism”. / - not sure if she meant ‘systemic’ instead but there can be no doubt about “mandatory”.