I appreciated the Duluth School Board’s June 4 commentary on choosing change (“ Our children are watching ”). Recent events have made clear that this is the time for change.
One of many changes needed in our schools is updating the curriculum to more accurately reflect our nation and our state’s history and to incorporate more literature written with the voices of people of color and indigenous people. Diverse members of our community have requested this change for decades. It is important for all our students to see themselves in the curriculum and to hear the sometimes-painful truth of our history. Where there are barriers in the state’s curriculum standards, school officials can actively work to change those standards.
As an example of teaching local history, the Duluth school district could adopt materials created by the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial Committee. The memorial honors three black men who were lynched in Duluth 100 years ago. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., the time is always right to do the right thing.
Betty Greene
Duluth
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