New Visions for Public Schools

Black History Month and Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

February 29, 2024

By Hawa Touray, New Visions Intern and Senior at Kappa International in the Bronx

Black History Month (BHM) is a reminder that Black history is inextricable from United States history.  To emphasize this critical distinction, young activists and educators have put their own spin on BHM by creating Black Lives Matter in Schools Week which takes place during the first week of February.

Over the years, young people have learned about Black history in a variety of ways:

  • Celebrating our fight for freedom
  • Participating in lessons about Black people throughout history and our powerful influence
  • Engaging in activism to continue to make our country safe for all.

This year, we want to acknowledge impactful Black women activists and highlight the social emotional learning skills that bolstered their work.

These inspiring women took initiative for themselves and their people by fighting for what’s right, and by fighting in a strategic, empathetic, and logical manner. Emotions can get the best of us sometimes and they can also give us direction and drive; if we can stay connected to both our emotions and our mission, we are more likely to be successful. That’s exactly what activism in this context can teach us.

3 Impactful Black Female Activists You Should Know

Claudette Colvin

Claudette Colvin is an important activist for Black lives who often goes unnoticed. Even before Rosa Parks, Colvin was the first Black person who peacefully refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus.  At the time, Colvin was only 15 years old. She was also a secretary for the youth council of NAACP. Sadly, Colvin does not have as much recognition as she so clearly deserves from her brave actions.

Ruby Bridges

In 1960, Ruby was the first black student to attend an all-white school in New Orleans, the  William Frantz Elementary School. t At 6 years old, Ruby had to face racial discrimination from large crowds who gathered outside the school, and even from her own teachers. She had to be escorted to school with her mother and by federal marshals every day. Police officers even had to provide barricades near the school for her protection. However, Ruby did not let anger or fear get in the way of her education.

Barbara Rose Johns

Barbara Johns showed incredible leadership skills while initiating a student strike at her high school. Barbara started a protest because of the poor conditions of Black schools and encouraged more than 400 students to join her protest. Little did Barbara know at the time that later in 1954, justice would be served. Her strike would influence the Supreme Court to reject school segregation in the U.S. Barbara’s initiative in gathering so many classmates as a peaceful, protesting force was a major turning point in the fight for equal rights.

Why is SEL important to Black History Month?

The different stories of these brave women can leave us with mixed emotions. On the one hand, we feel grief due to the racial discrimination that these young Black women had to face; however, we also feel  a sense of empowerment and inspiration from their ability to bring light into a dark situation. Being aware and comfortable with the different emotions that can well up in us is a critical part of understanding history and the thoughts of those who came before us.
The activists highlighted demonstrated how vital it is to empathize with others, to take initiative on behalf of our values, and to think strategically to reach our goals. We draw inspiration from their hard work and look to the future with the same empathy and diligence.

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