Teaching Kids That Connecticut History Goes Beyond White Guys

Angelina Morales holds her Connecticut history chapter book; Chapter 2 is about the African-American dancer, Dollie McLean. Photo by Tema Silk for NEPR

In Connecticut, third- and fourth-graders study the history of their state. In many schools, students choose to research one person or event from an approved list. The people on that list have been mostly men, and all white.

But because of an unusual collaboration, it now includes Native American, Latino and African-American men and women.

Wendy Martin, a teacher at West Hartford’s Whiting Lane Elementary School, gave instructions one morning in May to students working on their Connecticut history projects.

Student Kyle Ribando chose to research someone recently added to a list of approved people. That list used to consist mostly of Connecticut’s usual cast of historical characters: Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale and Mark Twain.

“I’m doing my Connecticut report on Joseph Cinqué,” Kyle said. “He was the man who won the Amistad revolt, and he and his friends won the right to go back to Africa in Supreme Court.”

Kyle had never heard of Cinqué before Martin showed the class a PowerPoint with all of the people and places kids could choose to investigate. Kyle is happy with his pick.

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