Black History Nerds Saturday School graphic.

Black History Nerds Saturday School

Black History Nerds Saturday school is our professional development series for pre-K-12 school teachers and others interested in learning more about Black history and race. These one-hour sessions aim to help develop Black history content pedagogical knowledge. Professional development credits are possible.

Upcoming Virtual Sessions

Abigail Henry. BH Nerds Graphic. May 11 11am-12 pm, via Zoom. Go to ed.buffalo.edu/bh-nerds to sign up for hte lecture.

From West Philadelphia to Burlington, Vermont: African American History for Teachers

Abigail Henry

Philadelphia is approaching its twentieth anniversary of African American History being a required course.   This talk will showcase how Abigail Henry took her 12 years of experience teaching 9th-grade African-American History in Philadelphia to a college course for teachers at St. Michael’s College in Vermont.   It will provide an overview of the curriculum she helped spearhead for the School District of Philadelphia, including the incorporation of the 1619 Project.  Abigail will describe her pedagogy in creating African American History lessons that simultaneously provide exciting engagement while driving critical consciousness around race.

This talk will showcase how African American History can still be effectively taught in two very different cultural settings.  It will also demonstrate creative and rigorous student assignments that encourage deep engagement in Black history, particularly at the local level.   It will also reveal some of the challenges shared by Vermont educators and the way they were trained to find creative and meaningful ways to incorporate Black history into their classrooms.

Registration Required.

Register Here
See You Fall 2024

Check back during the Fall semester for updates on this series.

  • Go to video playlist

Past Sessions

Black Elephants in the Room

Corey D. Fields, PhD

Published April 27, 2024

History Matters: Wellness, Healing and Community Care Through The Lens Of Black Experiences. PRESENTED BY MARCUS SANKOFA NICKS

History Matters: Wellness, Healing and Community Care Through the Lens of Black Experiences

Marcus Sankofa Nicks

Published March 9, 2024

Education as Revolution: Septima Clark and Black Citizenship Education. Presented by: Kristen Duncan, PhD.

Education as Revolution: Septima Clark and Black Citizenship Education

Dr. KRISTEN DUNCAN

Published February 17, 2024

Examining Black Studies, Presented by: Frederick Douglas Dixon, PhD.

Examining Black Studies

Dr. Frederick Douglass Dixon

Published February 10, 2024

Daryl Scott, PhD, delves into the profound legacy of Carter G. Woodson.

Carter G. Woodson: Writing Black History into America's Culture

Dr. daryl Scott

Published February 3, 2024

Race, Abolition & Artificial Intelligence. Presented by Tiera Tanksley, PhD.

Race, Abolition & Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Tiera Tanksley

Published January 13, 2024

Understanding Statistics to Give Meaning to Black History. Akil Parker presenting

Understanding Statistics to Give Meaning to Black History

Akil Parker

Published December 9, 2023

Dawnavyn James, doctoral student at the University at Buffalo presents #TeachBlackHistory Any Day, Every Day and All Year Long as part of the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education's Black History Nerds Saturday School.

#TeachBlackHistory Any Day, Every Day and all Year Long

Dawnavyn James

Published November 11, 2023

Black History Nerds Saturday School

Everyday AfroIndigenous Spiritual Practice as History Pedagogy

Dr. Eliana Castro and Dr. Krista L. Cortes

Published October 14, 2023

Dr. Rachel McMillian, assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will critically explore the question: What can students and teachers learn from Black people who are incarcerated? Through storytelling, she will discuss the importance of including the voices of those who’ve experienced incarceration in K-12 classrooms; the need to infuse prison abolition within social studies education; and her collaborative curriculum building with both currently and formerly incarcerated people. Lastly, she will provide recommendations and resources for social studies educators in the collective pursuit of prison abolition.

Lessons from Life Row

Dr. Rachel McMillian

Published September 23, 2023

Video presentation of The Underground Railroad, The Black Inner Geek, & The Outer Spaces of Slavery (Afrofuturism)

The Underground Railroad, The Black Inner Geek, & The Outer Spaces of Slavery (Afrofuturism)

Dr. Daniel Broyld

Published April 1, 2023

Social Justice in Historical Context presentation by Ashley Farmer.

Social Justice in Historical Context

Dr. Ashley Farmer

Published March 4, 2023

What You Heard? Teaching with Oral Histories of Black America

What You Heard? Teaching with Oral Histories of Black America

DR. Arcasia James-Gallaway

Published February 25, 2023

Fear has shaped events throughout U.S. history, as those who have possessed fear have weaponized this emotion to justify violence and oppression while others have used fear as an impetus for radical resistance. Brittany Jones aims to move fear from the periphery to the forefront by analyzing how fear is discussed in Virginia’s U.S. History Standards and Curriculum Framework. The standards only describe fear as an emotion possessed by white people, the inclusion of Black suffering does not lead to Black fear, and Black people do not fear. This work illuminates the importance of examining emotions, particularly fear, in social studies education and has implications for both K–12 teachers and teacher education.

Why Aren't Black People Allowed to Fear in U.S. History

Brittany Jones

Published February 18, 2023

A presentation that explores Black women’s geography by digging into the life and activism of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer to learn and teach the history of Black farmers in the United States.

Hands That Pick Cotton Now Pick Public Officials: Black Women's Geography and the Activism of Fannie Lou Hammer

Dr. Amanda Vickery

Published February 11, 2023

Educational research has demonstrated that culture is the key—the critical mediating factor in increasing student success for African American students. However, most African American students matriculate through systems of schooling that omit the unique culture, contributions, and accomplishments of Black people. This engaging and interactive presentation connects the legacy of past cultural excellence with strategies and methods teachers can use to produce excellence today. It provides cutting edge research and visual documentation of little-known accomplishments and contributions of African and African American people in various fields of study.

From History to Destiny: What Does it Mean to be Black

Dr. Chike Akua

Published February 4, 2023

Within seven months, Black residents in the city of Buffalo experienced two unfortunate tragedies–a mass shooting and a winter storm. Surviving both a white supremacist attack and an environmental catastrophe, the Black community in Buffalo has been forced to reconcile with the paradox of how Black suffering and violence can coexist in a “City of Good Neighbors.” When scholar-activists J Coley, Tiana Wilson, William Jamal Richardson, and Dr. Robert Mays released the #BuffaloSyllabus, they intended to provide historical, social, political, and economic contextualization of Black Buffalo today. Described as a “Love Letter to Buffalo,” the co-creators of the syllabus intentionally designed an online platform that would permanently house accessible resources for people interested in the relationship between race, gender, class, urban planning, and environmental justice. Their talk will explore how academics can use institutional networks for public scholarship and community engagement. In their presentation, they will discuss the origin and development story of the #BuffaloSyllabus and their aspirations for the future use of this educational resource.

A Love Letter to Buffalo: #BuffaloSyllabus and Digital Scholarship

J. Coley, Dr. Robert Mays, William Richardson and Tiana U. Wilson

Published January 21, 2023

Dr. Gholdy Muhammad delivers a talk on The Hill Project, A Black Studies Curriculum as part of the 2022 Black History Nerds Saturday at the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo.

The Hill Project, A Black Studies Curriculum

Dr. Gholdy Muhammad

Published February 26, 2022

Dr. Leonard Moore delivers a talk on Teaching Black History to White People as part of the 2022 Black History Nerds Saturday at the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo.

Teaching Black History to White People

Dr. Leonard Moore

Published February 19, 2022

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz delivers a talk on Historical Literacy and Racial Literacy as part of the 2022 Black History Nerds Saturday at the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo.

Historical Literacy as Racial Literacy

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

Published February 12, 2022

The Art of Black Teaching, a talk provided by Dr. Jarvis Givens as part of Black History Nerds Saturdays at the University at Buffalo.

The Art of Black Teaching

Dr. Jarvis Givens

Published February 5, 2022

Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

Fund 2 Foundation.

Silver Sponsor

Gibbs Smith Education.

Bronze Sponsor

Wayne State University Press logo.
Click to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.