海角大神

If you don鈥檛 like something, change it.

That鈥檚 part of the 鈥�,鈥� the credo of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College in Denver, Colorado. And a group of Black students there took it to heart after a trip last October with Principal Kimberly Grayson to the聽National Museum of African American History and Culture聽in Washington, D.C.

As the group toured the museum, , they saw a lot that didn鈥檛 show up in their history lessons. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when we decided our history is only reflective of the major icons 鈥� Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks. It鈥檚 not reflective of the beginning of Black history.鈥澛�

Several students approached Ms. Grayson, who is also Black, to press for a more inclusive history curriculum. She encouraged them to make their case to the history teachers, who are all white. That resulted in the teachers traveling to the museum 鈥� and deciding immediately to start reworking the curriculum.

鈥淭hey presented their changes to the students,鈥� Ms. Grayson says. It 鈥渂rought us to tears to see and hear the history teachers talk about how they felt walking through the museum.鈥�

The students join numerous experts who have toward a far more comprehensive and integrated approach to teaching U.S. history.聽

鈥淵ou have to think of [students] as future police officers, judges, lawyers, and doctors,鈥� LaGarrett King, director of the Carter Center for K-12 Black History Education, . 鈥淚f we leave out ... knowledge of our country, particularly of nonwhite people, then how will those citizens become good citizens?鈥�