By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Schools across the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district are recognizing Black History Month with read-ins, discussions and more.
At all district schools, black community leaders, students, teachers and others read to classes as part of a nationwide read-in on Monday.
“That’s sort of one unifying event,†said Stephanie Knott, assistant superintendent for community relations with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
At Carrboro Elementary School, Mildred Council – more commonly known as Mama Dip – read to second graders, while Rev. David Henderson read to fifth graders. Other guests – including former teachers, school board members and district office staff – read to each of the school’s classes throughout the day.
The school also held a read-in Tuesday evening, with guest readers, a pizza dinner and door prizes.
According to Knott, the district will also host a community dialog for middle and high school students, their parents and other community members to facilitate discussion of the film The Great Debaters. The movie recounts the true story of the 1930s Wiley College debate team, which was one of the first to break the color barrier by debating teams from white colleges.
The event will be held on February 24, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Smith Middle School. Those planning on attending should go see the movie before the event, as it will not be shown at the dialog.
“We have also produced a thinking guide with some questions about the movie itself,†Knott said, adding that the dialog was modeled after a Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation program in which individuals read books and came together for community discussion.
In addition to read-ins and other school events, the district has developed lesson plans and frameworks for teachers to help deepen students’ understanding of cultural groups.