9 Powerful Ways to Include Underrepresented Voices in any History Lesson

A truly effective history lesson should not only cover major events and figures, but also include the stories, struggles, and triumphs of groups often left out of the traditional narrative. For far too long, African American history—and that of many other marginalized communities—has been taught as an afterthought, reduced to a few figures or a single month. But history is incomplete without the voices of those who shaped it in powerful but often ignored ways.

Here’s how educators can design a more inclusive history lesson that centers underrepresented perspectives—especially those from African American communities.

1. Start with an Honest Audit

Begin by examining your current curriculum. Ask: Whose stories are we telling? Whose voices are missing? In many classrooms, African American history is limited to slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. While these are essential topics, they don’t reflect the full complexity and richness of Black contributions to U.S. history.

Expand your history lessons to include stories of Black entrepreneurs during Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Migration, and Black-led resistance movements across centuries.

2. Center Primary Sources from African Americans for the history lesson

A powerful history lesson relies on authentic voices. Go beyond textbook summaries and include primary sources from African American individuals—enslaved people, abolitionists, authors, artists, freedom fighters, and everyday citizens.

Use:

• Frederick Douglass’s speeches and autobiographies
• Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
• Zora Neale Hurston’s interviews with formerly enslaved people through the WPA
• Langston Hughes’ poetry about racial identity and pride

These first-hand accounts allow students to hear directly from those who lived through historical events.

3. Reframe Key Events Through African American Eyes

Transform your history lesson by asking students to explore events from different perspectives. For example:

• How did the Emancipation Proclamation affect freedmen in the South vs. free Black communities in the North?
• What was the Black experience during westward expansion, as Buffalo Soldiers or as Exodusters fleeing Jim Crow violence?
• How did Black soldiers in WWII reconcile fighting for freedom abroad while facing segregation at home?

This kind of inquiry builds empathy, curiosity, and a deeper understanding of systemic inequality.

4. Diversify Historical Figures

History lessons often repeat the same names—Washington, Lincoln, Franklin—but they leave out countless African American changemakers who shaped the same events.

Introduce students to:

• Ida B. Wells, who led national campaigns against lynching
• Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History,” who founded Negro History Week (now Black History Month)
• Bayard Rustin, an openly gay civil rights strategist behind the March on Washington
• Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first female self-made millionaire

Highlighting these figures affirms the breadth of African American leadership in every aspect of society—business, politics, education, and activism.

5. Make Connections to Present-Day Struggles

Students are more engaged when they see how a history lesson relates to their world. Connect past movements to present ones:

• Link Jim Crow laws to present-day voter suppression
• Tie the legacy of redlining to today’s racial wealth gap
• Compare student activism during the Civil Rights era to modern Black youth-led movements like Black Lives Matter

These discussions help students understand how history shapes current policies, beliefs, and identities.

6. Use Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies

A culturally responsive history lesson goes beyond content—it acknowledges students’ lived experiences and affirms their cultural identity. Create space for students to:

• Share their family histories or local community stories
• Research unsung Black heroes in their city or state
• Analyze how textbooks have historically erased or misrepresented Black contributions

This approach builds student voice and fosters critical thinking.

7. Avoid Tokenism—Embed African American History Year-Round

Black history is American history. It shouldn’t be limited to February. Make African American stories part of every historical unit:

• Include enslaved and free Black people’s roles in the American Revolution
• Highlight Black political leaders during Reconstruction, such as Hiram Revels
• Discuss the Great Migration during units on industrialization and urbanization
• Explore Black cultural impact during the Jazz Age, civil disobedience in the 1960s, and present-day social justice organizing

By embedding Black history into every lesson, students come to see it as essential—not supplemental.

8. Leverage Multimedia and Diverse Creators

Use documentaries like Eyes on the Prize or Ava DuVernay’s 13th, podcasts like 1619 or Throughline, and books by scholars like Ibram X. Kendi or Nikole Hannah-Jones. Be intentional about sourcing material from Black creators who bring cultural authenticity and scholarly insight.

This modernizes the history lesson and allows students to engage with history through multiple forms of media.

9. Encourage Critical Reflection

End each history lesson by asking: Who got left out? What would change if we told the story differently? Students can journal, discuss, or debate these questions, which help them build historical empathy and recognize bias in traditional narratives.

Final Thoughts

An inclusive history lesson empowers students to see themselves in the story of our nation. When African American voices—and those of other marginalized groups—are woven into the core of history instruction, students gain a more honest, complex, and inspiring view of the past.

By teaching underrepresented perspectives with intention and respect, educators help create a new generation that values truth, justice, and a shared responsibility to build a better future.

Dr. Derrick Campbell

moreinfo@quarantineracism,.com