Current and former elected officials join the push for a
mandatory African American history course
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
“Those who do not
learn their history are
doomed to repeat it.”
That was the quote
Reece Johnson used when
he addressed the Winston-
Salem/Forsyth County
Schools Board of Educa
tion last week. The apho
rism from Spanish philos
opher George Santayana
was the perfect intro to
Johnson’s two-minute ad
dress to the board on why
they should adopt a man
datory African American
history course.
The push for a man
datory African American
history course began more
than three years ago when
the Local Organizing
Committee (L.O.C.), took
their demands to the local
school board.
According to organiz
ers with the L.O.C., after
initial talks with district ad
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board Vice Chair Barbara Hanes Burke
during the public meeting on Tuesday, June 25. Burke was the only member of the
board to show their support for a mandatory African American history course.
ministrators to discuss the
idea of an African Ameri
can history course, they
never received any up
dates from the board or in
terim superintendent Ken
Simington, who served
as curriculum coordinator
when L.O.C. began their
push for the course. Dur
ing a brief discussion with
The Chronicle earlier this
year, Ken Rasheed, who
helped lead the charge for
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the L.O.C., said Simington
said he would “get back
with him” after they did a
little more research.
Three years later and
Rasheed, the L.O.C., and
now Hate Out of Winston,
the local activist organiza
tion that led the way for the
removal of the Confeder
ate statue from downtown,
and countless others are
still waiting to hear some
thing from Simington and
the school board. Despite
receiving countless emails
and questions from mem
bers of Hate Out of Win
ston and the L.O.C. since
2016, an African American
history course has never
been discussed during a
public school board meet
ing and the board does
have the power to get the
ball rolling on the course
being added to the curricu
lum.
During the board of ed
ucation meeting on Tues
day, June 25, Johnson and
several others, including
current and former elected
officials, joined the move
ment as well.
County Commissioner
Fleming El-Amin brought
a copy of the book, “Shel
ter in the Time of Storm:
How Black Colleges Fos
tered Generations of Lead
ership and Activism.” The
author of the book, Dr.
Jelani Favors, was a stu
dent in El-Amin’s African
American History when
he was a teacher at Glenn
High School.
Currently, WS/FCS
offers an African Ameri
can history course as an
elective at several high
schools. At least 17 stu
dents have to sign up for
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Reece Johnson holds a sign that reads “Mandatory AA Class Now” during the Board of Education meeting on
Tuesday, June 25. Johnson was one of many who spoke in support of the local school district implementing a
mandatory African American histoiy course.
the course to be taught.,
El-Amin, who was on the
committee that pushed for
the elective course, said al
though it was a challenge
to get students to enroll
in the course in the begin
ning, once the class began
many students started to
enjoy the class. He said
the course inspired several
students, including Dr. Fa
vors, who went on to earn
a Ph.D. in African Ameri
can Studies.
“Academic excellence
demands academic excel
lence,” said El-Amin as he
stood before the members
of the board of education.
“If a child is inspired to
see themselves in the cur
riculum, they can achieve
untold results and accom
plishments. So I plead with
you, give it your full con
sideration.”
Former County Com
missioner Everette With
erspoon also spoke in
support of the mandatory
African American history
course. Witherspoon, who
is a graduate of Glenn,
applauded the board for
making history when they
voted to appoint Malishai
Woodbury as the first Af
rican American woman to
serve as board chair and
Dr. Kenneth Simington as
Forsyth County Commissioner Fleming El-Amin addresses the Winston-Salem/
Forsyth County Schools’ Board of Education on Tuesday, June 25.
the first African American
interim superintendent. He
then urged them to make
history again by imple
menting the mandatory
course.
“I’d like to thank you
for your wisdom, your
leadership, and the vision
to not only create African
American history once,
but twice.” Witherspoon
continued, “But the job is
not over. I would like for
you to continue in that vain
of leadership, courage, and
vision by making African
American history a man
datory class in Winston-
Salem and Forsyth County
Schools.”
Although they weren’t
in attendance during the
meeting, Winston-Salem
City Council members
Denise “D.D.” Adams
and James Taylor, who
is also publisher of The
Chronicle, sent letters
to the board members to
show their support for the
African American history
course. State Senator Paul
Lowe and State House
Representative Evelyn
Terry are also expected to
send letters to the board.
Following the public
comment portion of the
meeting, Barbara Hanes
Burke, board vice chair,
spoke up and let it be
known that she supports
the push for a mandatory
African American history
course. Burke, who is a
former vice principal at
Carver High School, said,
“I 1,000% support every
one here who spoke out
for a mandatory African
American history course.”
She said since her first
Curriculum Committee
See Mandatory on A2
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