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HBCU Careers Magazine
30
Have you ever been trying to talk to someone and it just
seems they are not listening? They may even say, “Hold
on just a minute.” It usually annoys the person that is
trying to share his or her message and sometimes he or
she will say, “Forget it” and not share his or her story at
all.
This happens so many times in life and in history. If we
are not careful, there will continue to be stories that are
not told and shared with students. McGraw-Hill, a well-
known textbook publisher, recently came under scrutiny
when one Texas mother questioned why slaves were referred to as immigrants in her son’s textbook.
Admitting they could do better in a social media posting, the textbook publisher said they would fix the
error immediately in the digital copy and the next print copy.
Some people surely may think this is not even worth acknowledgment, but it is. The differences in the
word slave and immigrant are stark. An immigrant implies someone who is not originally from a place
but came seeking opportunity. Slaves were driven out of their own homes to another place, against
their will. This is why I say every story matters.
Recently becoming employed in K-12 education, I spoke with a group of curriculum personnel about
stories. I passed around the room a lesson I had found online. This lesson is one that is no doubt used
in elementary schools. It had four blank spaces at the top and at the bottom were four picture stories.
The task of the student was to cut the pictures out and place them at the top in sequential order. This
seems well enough. However, the story was about Rosa Parks and the first picture said, “She went to
jail,” the next said, “She did not give up her seat,” then “the law was changed. Lastly “people did not
use the bus.” I asked the curriculum personnel what was wrong with this lesson. Right away two of
them spoke up and said pieces of what I was trying to demonstrate. This lesson, while good for motor
skills and teaching students to think in sequential order, is not appropriate for teaching about Rosa
Parks. I know there are so many excellent teachers in the world that will simply use this worksheet as a
supplement, and not as an entire lesson, but I caution educators to make sure they are telling the story
in its entirety because every story matters.
The reason this lesson scares me is because it oversimplifies the civil rights movement and Rosa Parks’
story. Her story did not begin at the Montgomery Bus Boycott and certainly did not end there, but if
someone were to ask students and adults today about Rosa Parks, most of them can only tell you she
Every Story Matters
By: Roneshia Evans,
M.Ed, LPCA, NCC
Human Relations Coordinator,
Hopkins County Schools