February is Black History Month! Reinforcing the Importance of Diversity in Montessori Elementary1/7/2020
February is Black History Month, giving Montessori elementary school students the opportunity to learn more about the importance of diversity. Black History Month is a time for encouraging children to delve into history, experience innovation, and examine the benefits of diversity, inclusion, and acceptance in all facets of our lives. Black History Month ThemeThe theme of this year’s Black History Month is voting, perfect for Montessori elementary school students in a major election year. 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment giving the right to vote to black men, as well as the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote. These two amendments are powerful legal tools written to guarantee that all citizens, including women and people of color, are entitled to equal rights and freedoms.
African Americans and the VoteEven after black men were given the right to vote in 1870, many parts of the country worked to prevent them from exercising that right through unfair state voting regulations. And it wasn’t until 1920 that women were allowed to participate in the vote, overturning the mistaken belief that only men should be allowed to vote for public officials. These changes to federal law opened the door for diversity and inclusion in American elections, leading eventually to 2018 ushering more women and racial diversity into elected office than ever before. African Americans in HistoryAfrican Americans have played prominent roles in every major conflict our country has been involved in. The first man to die in the American Revolution, for example, was a black man named Crispus Attucks, and more recently Colin Powell rose through the ranks to become Chief of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces from 1989 to 1993. Diversity in ScienceThe scientific community benefits from tolerance and inclusion as well. Prominent African American scientists and inventors include George Washington Carver, who was instrumental in developing crop rotation and soil conservation, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of the most widely known astrophysicists in the world. Diversity is a critical aspect of society. It fosters innovation and promotes interaction. Accepting that everyone is entitled to equal rights and fair treatment teaches us that everyone has a role to play and that the goodness and ambition of human nature are not confined to any one gender, race, or culture. Comments are closed.
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