Education, like many other sectors, has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools across the country closed down earlier this year to protect students and faculty, opting for remote learning until further notice. In light of the recent Black Lives Matter protests, one teacher decided to create a free online course for kids to learn about Black history and politics.
Dr. Sheva Quinn started the Black Classical University program in June focused on the Black Lives Matter movement and the impact it is making on the nation in real-time. Quinn says many parents are grateful for the curriculum in order to educate their children about the importance of the modern-day civil rights movement and other Black history facts during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Right now, I am inundated with parents who want to enroll their children in my program because they are apprehensive about sending them back to school with COVID,” said Quinn in an interview with Patch back in July. “They wanted an environment where children can see teachers who look like them, teach history related to them, and with the Black Lives Matter protests and social injustices going on, they are being forced to have these discussions and some parents don’t know how to do that. We can’t shelter them when it is their reality.”
“We will talk about the circumstances surrounding Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and others,” Quinn added. “We also have guest speakers who have been at the forefront of protests, in law, in history and more. The thing is this is nothing new. It’s just that the cameras are here now. This course is designed to make them more aware, see what activism looks like and understand what they may be up against.”