Black Literary Society at 菠菜网lol正规平台

Pictured above, Harvard University professor Dr. 贾维斯R. 吉文斯 (center front row) with students and leaders of the 菠菜网lol正规平台 Black Literary Society program. 

The 长滩 Unified School District is committed to continuing to center and elevate Black students and families through various programs in line with 2035年愿景, a new aspirational vision that reimagines education in 菠菜网lol正规平台. 

In recent years, 菠菜网lol正规平台 has introduced several programs to support Black students and their families. These programs include the Black Student Achievement Initiative, which aims to promote the academic success of Black students, and the Sankofa Parent Village (SPV), which provides a community of care and support for parents and caregivers of Black children. 

The word "Sankofa" comes from the Akan Tribe of Ghana and symbolizes the value of looking back at the past and using that knowledge to create a positive future.

在长滩, Sankofa has been a central theme in our work to increase achievement, promote growth and a sense of belonging for our Black students,” Dr. Pam Lovett, an Excellence and Equity coordinator for 菠菜网lol正规平台 said. (点击这里观看视频).

“The Sankofa symbol compels us to be knowledge seekers. People who engage in investigating the past to fill in knowledge gaps by critically analyzing new learning and putting it to use to increase understanding of ourselves, to plan and problem solve,” Dr. 洛维特说. 

最近, 菠菜网lol正规平台 launched a Black Literary Society program at all high schools to provide students with an opportunity to read and learn from the rich history of Black education and literature.

Inaya, a junior at the California Academy of Mathematics and Science (摄像头), describes the school’s Black Literary Society as “a program where Black students can learn more about Black history, culture and our communities through different forms of writing.”

今年, the 菠菜网lol正规平台 Black Literary Society program has partnered with Harvard University professor Dr. 贾维斯R. 吉文斯 to support students in their academic, 知识 and cultural development through a reading of his book, “School Clothes: A Collective Memoir of Black Student Witness.” 

Dr. 吉文斯 visited 长滩 in the fall of 2023 to work with students as the District kicked off the literary society programs. In mid-4月, several students will travel to Harvard to meet with Dr. 吉文斯 and further discuss their findings from his book. 

“School Clothes is a collection of memoirs and they discuss the hardships African-Americans have to face just to retrieve an education in the United States,Lyric说。, a senior at 文艺复兴时期的 High School for the Arts. 

The literary society program also encourages students to examine and analyze text through a social, 政治, 知识, cultural and economic (SPICE) framework in the curriculum developed by Dr. 吉文斯. 

“The SPICE framework provides a lens for students to examine and analyze the text so they can go back and make those text-to-self connections,” shared Kimberly Johnson-Agulto, a leader of the Black Literary Society at 摄像头. “It’s not their traditional question and answer, [the framework] is really [about] building knowledge and getting to that analysis stage.”

As the 菠菜网lol正规平台 Black Literary Society program prepares to celebrate its first successful year, it’s evident that it has provided valuable learning opportunities for all its participants, including educators like Devon'Te Jameson, who leads a Black Literary Society at Cabrillo High School.

“Every week we have Black Literary Society, I learn so much about my students, myself and how we connect with each other [and] to people from 100 years ago,詹姆森说.