BARBARA SPENCER-DUNN’S ASALH INSPIRED JOURNEY TO CENTER BLACK TEENS IN THEIR VIBRANT HISTORY – Part 1
with Barbara Spencer-Dunn
Episode 004
Meet Barbara Spencer-Dunn, an executive council member for the Association for The Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). It is an association founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of Black History Week that evolved into Black History Month. In this episode of the Blacknificent Life! Podcast, SisterDoc Mwangaza Michael-Bandele sits with Barbara Spencer-Dunn as she shares how she was inspired as a child to write the book Before and Beyond the Niagara Movement: As the Youth See It.She explains the importance of having parents and a community influenced by the work of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Listen in to learn the value of understanding African history in order to accurately understand African American history as a grounding for raising healthy Black children.
“I wrote ‘Before and Beyond’ because of my upbringing. All that I learned as a child taught me how critically important it was for people to know their history.”- Barbara Spencer [6:10]
Takeaways
- How to inspire young Black teens to achieve better academically
- One important purpose of teaching Black history to help children better understand themselves.
- The power of the media and how it impacts Black self-perception.
- The importance of teaching young people to respect elders of the community.
Key Moments:[4:07] Ateya Ball-Lacy describes the HoodSmart Urban STEMulus Project and some of its intended outcomes
[7:31] Ateya Ball-Lacy explains how the project offers a way to recognize high achieving Black students by celebrating those who have done exceptionally well
[11:15] Ateya Ball-Lacy tells a story about young Black men who exposed their real desires to achieve highly when they were in a nurturing environment
[16:18] The importance of having platforms that teach children history that helps them understand present-day occurrences and encourages them in a positive direction
[18:04] An explanation of reality show highlights and why Ball-Lacy chose to use a media platform
[20:13] The process by which the reality show was created and produced is explained, with updates about its current status
[23:36] Why Ball-Lacy involved elders in the project as a way to teach inter-generational respect and cultural values.
[26:25] Ball-Lacy describes the success of the first pop-up event
References HoodSmart Urban STEMulus Project Website: http://hoodsmarttv.com/HoodSmart Urban STEMulus Project Email: hoodsmarttv@gmail.com