Free State High School opened in 1997, approximately a century and a half after Kansas joined America as a “free state,” or a state where slavery was illegal. At the heart of this movement was Lawrence, Kansas. Founded by abolitionists, Lawrence was on the border of Kansas and Missouri but was resilient to violent attempts to stop the abolitionist cause that eventually won the Civil War.
Despite its namesake, the school has lacked recognition and celebration of Black History Month. Principal Amy McAnarney acknowledged the information on the school televisions, the display in the library and counselor Brianna Jackson’s lesson plans on black history, but attributed the absence of a larger celebration, recognition or education to the lack of anybody coming forward with ideas. The most visible recognition is librarian Marissa Hegeman’s display focusing on black authors, which she also does year-round.
“Black history is everyone’s history,” Hegeman said. “It should be celebrated and wrapped in throughout the year.”
Other than this, Jackson has been working on plans with significant figures in black history specific to a school subject and sending them to teachers to help educate students, a task no one before her had been willing to take on.
Even though McAnarney credited the shortfall of acknowledgment of Black History Month to no one making a plan, Jackson made resources easily accessible for staff. Still, according to a poll on FSJournalism Instagram, only 16% of students have seen the information she shared.
“The biggest thing is how many contributions the black community has made to American society,” Jackson said. “I’m privileged to be here and Free State is lucky to have someone who is willing to take on this project.”
The responsibility to educate students about black history has fallen onto one of the few staff members of color and has been limited to February. Outside of the month, Free State offers a course on African American history, but other than that, history books often dedicate a chapter to black history and then move on. Security Officer Demetrius Kemp collaborated with Jackson on her lesson plans but thinks the education has to go beyond the classroom.
“There has to be conversations about [black history]” Kemp said. “That’s what people are learning from.”
Kemp has seen significant improvement in the past years in terms of black history education, but the lack of appreciation for both black history and Black History Month is nonetheless obvious throughout the school. With the history surrounding the school and the school’s name, there is a lot to live up to, but the education and recognition have been increasing.
