#OurHistoryMatters Articles

“Of our textbook’s 1,192 pages,” says Afaf Akid of PSU, “fewer than 100 are dedicated to people of color. That’s less than 10% of our history curriculum…and of course, the few references to people of color are problematic as well, often treating issues like slavery and colonialism as neutral or even positive developments. We deserve better.”

“The oppression of enslaved African-Americans and Native Americans is disguised as this ‘cultural exchange,’” said Lee Caraballo during her speech. Another student, Latifat Odetunde, questioned why black history in the curriculum starts and ends with slavery.

Recent studies have shown that high school students perform better when race and ethnicity classes are offered. A Guardian report on a Stanford University study said, “Student attendance increased by 21%, while grade-point averages surged nearly a grade and a half for those enrolled in the class – striking results, according to the researchers.”

I’m Nigerian. I’m Muslim. I’m also an American,” said Latifat Odetunde, a student from Classical High School. “My story is not in the history books. It’s not about what the history books put in. It’s what they leave out.”

The student activist group that has successfully convinced Providence leaders to provide more free bus passes to high school students and lobbied the state to slow down the use of high-stakes standardized testing in recent years is back. This time, the Providence Student Union (PSU) is asking the school department to add an ethnic studies course to each of the city’s 10 high schools.