Article 1: 2019 Presidential Address: Historically Conscious Educational Spaces

In 1936, John C. Bruce, delivered a conference address, entitled, “Why and how we teach the Negro about himself in the Washington Public Schools”. Mr. Bruce emphasized the connections between the present, past, and future through the study of history by the young people in the Washington DC schools (Bruce 1937, 40). He further lamented that the segregated schools of his school district, where he had served as a teacher, principal, and district administrator, did not offer a curriculum that was more reflective of all students’ backgrounds.

Bruce went further and called on educators to teach the history of African Americans to all students, but especially to those of African descent in the United States. As an administrator in the DC public schools, he did so in his own district. Bruce and countless other educators from the past provide important examples of how vital the history of education and specifically curriculum history is in the lived experiences of educational organizations. This demonstrates why developing historically conscious educational spaces that understand their past is critical to the field of education.