Truth Talks marks Black history centennial, explores educational history

hough Black History Month was first recognized as a national celebration by President Ford in 1976, its roots date to 1926, making this year the centennial celebration of Black Americans’ many contributions to our country’s history.

With that Black history milestone in mind, NYSUT hosted a new discussion in its Truth Talks series, which seeks to feature the expertise of NYSUT members and amplify the voices of communities whose histories and stories have been overlooked in traditional narratives.

The virtual discussion was moderated by United Federation of Teachers member Zakkiyya Rock and featured a welcome from NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham, who emphasized that the history of Black Americans is an essential part of American history and our current reality.

“Black history is not a side story, it is a central story. It is American history,” said Abraham.

United University Professions member Marcia Sutherland, Ph.D. was the featured speaker for the February Truth Talks discussion.

The event’s featured speaker was Marcia Sutherland, Ph.D., a United University Professions member who teaches in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Africana, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at SUNY Albany. She is the author of Black Authenticity: A Psychology for Liberating People of African Descent.

Sutherland focused her remarks on educational history and, in particular, the education of students of African descent across American history and how pervasive racial disparities in education that date back decades and centuries continue to affect Black youth today.

“If you don’t understand history, you have no context for understanding what’s happening in the current century,” said Sutherland.

Watch Sutherland’s TruthTalks presentation and see recordings of previous discussions in the series at nysut.cc/truthtalks.