Friday from the Archives: “Teaching the Darkness Away: Humanities, History and Education,” an essay by Christie Hinson Norris in NCLR 30 (2021).
Quoting the phrase “The world turned upside down” from the musical, Hamilton, Christie Norris sums up just how life was for the world globally after COVID-19 hit and how it affected the lives of everyone, especially schools and learning.
Norris talks about inspiration she’s found, despite the troubling times that she finds herself in, from memorable figures like Civil Rights activist Bernice Johnson Reagon. She writes, “Humanists, artists, and musicians such as Dr. Reagon understand that communities cannot only look forward in times of crisis. We cannot rely solely on political leaders. We must look to teachers, historians, writers, musicians, artists, and others steeped in the humanities because the humanities critically inform the times in which we live, and they can offer inspiration to carry on.”
She then goes on to talk about revisiting the essay “A Talk to Teachers” by novelist and poet James Baldwin. Norris describes how “Baldwin understood the power of teachers who cultivate young minds, readying them for civic and cultural life. He called upon educators’ potential, as humanists and historians, to teach a liberating curriculum and require an honest reckoning with our shared history. He believed it was crucial for the health of our democracy to allow students to address and confront the problems that shaped their lives.”
The title is taken from a speech by Caldwell Award recipient and NC Literary Hall of Fame Dr. James W. Clark, NCSU English Professor Emeritus: “Dr. Clark presents… a challenge to teachers: he asks them to “teach the darkness away.” As Baldwin expressed in 1963, we need teachers, leaders, and broadly educated, deeply reflective citizens who can apply the lessons of the past to today’s problems. We need people who can talk and teach the darkness away, revealing the truths, the choices, and the hope that is too often concealed by denial, mythology, and divisive fear. We need those with the courage to shine a light into all the dark corners of our past to illuminate a path forward.”
Read the entire essay on ProQuest and purchase a copy of the 2021 issue here.
