The new African American history elective course allows students to dive deeper into the black voices and people who impacted Virginia and U.S. history. 

“VBCPS decided to create and offer this course because they do not want any more students looking back at their educational experience with history and realize that there was so much they did not learn about African American history,” said Department Chair and School Counselor Joanna Buonviri. “I also think VBCPS wanted to offer a course that can help students to process and understand the current wave of activism and racial unrest.”

United States history courses often fail to address critical topics such as racism, pre-colonial Africa, culture, politics, and the fight for freedom, which may spark student’s curiosity.

“I thought that they taught us everything that’s needed to know about black and African history, but now since I am much older, I am realizing that they really only teach us about the basics, and there are so many things that school really failed to teach us,” said sophomore Mariama Sene. “I would like to learn more about African Americans who paved the way that are less talked about, not just the famous ones like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.”

According to Buonviri, students interested in the course should contact their school counselor by email, phone, or Schoology message in order to replace a previously chosen elective or It’s academic for this course, but the class is only offered if enough students select it.

“The very nature of this course is to give a voice to so many Americans who have been overlooked, devalued, or erased from the history books,” said Buonviri.

For more information, Buonviri has posted two attachments of detailed descriptions of the course in Schoology.

“There is a real need for young black students to see themselves in their history lessons, and it is important to open the eyes of all students to the remarkable contributions and accomplishments of African Americans throughout time,” said Buonviri.