Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day, and All Year Long, K-3

Dawnavyn James believes Black history shouldn’t be relegated to the month of February.

Dawnavyn M. James is an early childhood, elementary, and Black history educator and researcher from Kansas City, MO. She has given presentations and led workshops promoting Black history teaching in early childhood and elementary classrooms. Through consulting, Dawnavyn has supported teachers in numerous school districts as they work to teach Black history year-round through the use of picture books. She believes that picture books centering Black history are one of the greatest ways to bring Black histories into the classroom. She has taught students from kindergarten to fifth grade in Columbia, Missouri, but her favorite years of teaching were her three years with kindergartners. She received her teaching degree from Stephens College and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University at Buffalo and is a fellow at the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education. Dawnavyn is also the founder of The Black History Club, an organization that empowers and equips teachers and students with information and resources that will benefit themselves, their families, and the community through engaging with Black histories.