PASSING IT ON
Black Families Teach History to Preserve Heritage
By Rebecca Mahoney
The Ledger

To Brenda Reddout, black history is more than marches, protests, speeches and dates. It's her life and her family's heritage. Her great-grandfather was a slave in Alabama. He was sold for a horse. Reddout herself was born at the height of the civil rights movement and was among the first generation of black Americans to attend integrated schools.

Now that she's a parent, Reddout, 47, wants her two children to know what their ancestors experienced. She wants them to understand that black history is their history.

And she wants them to hear it from her.

"There's a line (from the film) 'Amistad' -- 'We stand on the shoulders of those who come before us,' " said Reddout, a Polk County school board member who lives in Winter Haven. "I think it's important that they understand that the opportunities I have and my children will have is a result of what my ancestors endured."

Reddout is among a number of black parents who are making a point to teach their children about black history.

Although many schools include lessons on slavery, the civil rights movement and other events in black history, many black parents say they believe it's their responsibility to reinforce those lessons at home.

Horace West, a Haines City commissioner, said he believes his children will be better prepared for the challenges and opportunities facing them if they understand their culture's history.

"It's not the only thing they should learn, but I think people need to learn about their heritage and where they come from," said the 44-year-old West, whose children are 24, 18 and 12. "I think they've learned some of it in schools, but there are always some things schools don't teach."

Cheryl Joe, 44, a curriculum specialist for Polk schools, uses black history to remind her three children of the advantages they have.

When her two oldest turned 18, for example, she told them about malicious practices that kept blacks from voting. Then she encouraged them to register to vote as soon as possible.

"When you have a vote, you have a voice. Too many people died to have that vote," said Joe. "I don't want them to take that for granted."

It's not uncommon for parents to want to pass their family history on to their children -- especially if they come from cultures where there is a history of pain and oppression, said John Belohavek, a professor of history at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

"Many parents are concerned about making sure their children know where they come because history tells you who and what you are," he said. "Understanding who you are, in terms of your roots, is an important part of the evolution of your own selfconception."

Carolynne Mather, 52, who owns Kids World Enrichment Center in Lakeland, said she believes it's so important black children understand their history that she passed it along to her own kids -- now 35, 33, 23, 21 -and teaches it to the children that attend her learning center.

"You want to know your own history," she said. "If you don't know your own from the start, then that's not going to speak very well of your own identity."

There's something about sharing personal history that makes it hit home, Reddout said.

"Whatever the kids learn in textbooks, they should also be enriched by parents sharing their own experiences as AfricanAmericans," said Reddout. "I can read about experiences of African-Americans, but it doesn't become real. It does become real when I learn that a member of my own family was a slave."

Some parents, like Michele Marbra, 29, of Lakeland start teaching their children black history early.

Her son Jalen is only 6, but she's already finding ways to help him understand his culture.

Recently, for example, he learned about Martin Luther King in kindergarten. It sparked a conversation at home.

"I want him to feel proud about his heritage," said Marbra. "Being black is a good thing, not a negative thing."

Rebecca Mahoney can be reached at 863-802-7548 or rebecca. [email protected].