The struggles of teaching, celebrating Black history locally

At TAMIU, Dr. Donovan Weight is the Associate Professor of History in the Humanities Department. And he recently shared his knowledge and experience on what it is like to colonial history in Laredo.

“One of the things that I’ve noticed is that the demographic of African Americans here is a lot lower,” Weight said. “And one of the things that I have noticed is when students come to me in my courses, a lot of the times they say they just didn’t learn things about slavery, about the civil rights movement or about Jim Crow.”

Weight has noticed incoming students have somewhat of an “inkling” of Dr. Martin Luther King and when slavery was abolished, but they really don’t have in-depth knowledge about the topic. He also notices the low interest students have in learning Black history.

“When I have offered classes here, I’ve noticed that it’s kind of hard to make a class here on campus, to make enough students want to go if I do it on just a Black history topic,” Weight said. “So one of the things that I have done is incorporate other topics to try to cast a wider net so they get interested.

“I taught a class called Civil Rights Movement, and in that class I look at the Black Civil Right movements for half of the class, and then I teach the Chicano Movement for the other half of the class. And I do a compare and contrast and intersect where they worked together and when they went their separate ways, and that has raised a little bit more interest in the Black history element of the class.”

Weight says that students in Laredo have shown a disconnect with knowing how Black history pertains to them. There is a difference between comments made specifically to hurt people and comments made out of pure ignorance, which can explain some inherently racist comments Black people receive in the community.

Because of this, Weight tries to show his students the importance of Black culture and everything it has brought to the country, as it is a critical component to today’s national landscape. He recommends K-12 levels to explain to their students how Black history connects to their lives and how the previous experiences can be used to understand and benefit all.

“One of the reasons why I really enjoy African American history is because I really think the story of Black America is kind of the story of everything that is right and everything that is wrong in America in microcosm,” Weight said. “When we study Black history, we can see the best of the best in American History, we can also see the worst of the worst of American History. I think if we can get our students here in Laredo to see the connection in the things that this people were able to overcome in the situations that arose, how those situations arose and the effects that are still being felt because of it, then we can become more open to say, ‘I understand a little bit better of what you’re going through.’”

Jordyn Rebeles is a student at Vidal M. Trevino School of Communication and Fine Arts. She says that her school is not having any activities celebrating Black History Month and shares the only way this topic has been touched is in her government class.

Rebeles feels the subject is not talked about as much as it should be. as it is not something that happened long ago, but the lasting effects of oppression are still present.

“They don’t teach a lot of things. The only thing that I’ve heard about Black history in school is slavery. Everything else I learned on my own,” Rebeles said. “It’s never been taught in a school. It’s only about the slaves, slaves trade, how it was abolished and so forth. It’s not talked about enough. We talk about history, but even our history is colonized, it’s white-washed.

She feels one of the main reasons racism still prevails in Laredo is the dismissal of Black culture while only focusing on Hispanic culture.

In past recent years, Black History is a subject that has been asked to be included and improved upon in the U.S. education system, with many Americans believing the conversation around the subject is inadequate.

Rebeles recalls experiencing some inherent racism at school through comments other students have made. And although they may not know the gravity of these remarks, teachers allegedly didn’t correct them. These behaviors may be a direct reflection of the absence of Black History taught in schools, resulting in generations of students not knowing that what they think or say may be incorrect and hurtful.

“We have to fight to have the right to wear our hair naturally. It’s upsetting that some people forget just how easily oppressed we are because it’s so normalized,” Rebeles said. “It’s hard to undo so many internalized ideals that are so deep-rooted, but the more people realize what they do is inherently racist, it becomes easier to put others into consideration.”

Rebeles said one of her courses included a book with a slur on it, recalling the uncomfortable feeling she had when her teacher took her out of class to communicate this to her. Another course reading included a lynching, in which the teacher did not warn the students of this occurrence. Rebeles adds this decision comes from individuals forgetting these events are traumatizing to a lot of people.

“We talk about mental health and how to approach people who might seem depressed or suicidal, but we don’t really talk about how to approach people who might be traumatized by racial violence, and that includes Hispanics,” Rebeles said. “Calling people out when they say things that are inherently racist, or homophobic or transphobic is such a big start, especially during Black History Month.”

Rebeles expresses, noting the discrepancy in our education system banning LGBTQ+ books but not banning books with racial slurs.