Leadership Matters April 2015

influenced by class, gender, race, sexual orientation, geography, and religion. To not teach this history year round is to do a disservice to our nation's rich, complicated past." I concur with Mr. Jocz that we should not limit our celebrations and remembrance to the month of February. Constraining the history and story of any particular group to a day, week, or month, essentially denies those who are being taught the reality of the world that has preceded them. Karen Warrington, an Education Reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, in her article African American History Must Be Taught said, "America is so diverse that we should be teaching the stories of all its people, whether it is Greco-Roman history, including Greek mythology; Ireland's potato famine; the exodus of Eastern Europeans to America; or the roles so many other groups played here, including Italians, Germans, Asians and Latinos. This should all be part of the public school curriculum - and rightly so." In short, the teaching of African American studies and other cultures supports the diversity of our great country and its public school system. As an experienced educator, having crossed many phases of the education process -- teacher, principal, and now Superintendent of Schools -- I have witnessed the benefits of being

Dr. Denean Adams, superintendent of Harvey Public School District 152, reads to children.

exposed to the studies of all cultures who have contributed to the success that America has become. Too often, the names of those who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and even rode with Rosa Parks are not known. While we may never know their names, we must continue to fulfill the dream of those who sacrificed life and limb for a better America. Our work should be all about our children, and that work will shape us for a greater future.

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