Letter to the editor: Celebrating Black History Month

The educators and support professionals of the Pennsylvania State Education Association are proud to celebrate Black History Month.

Black history is American history, and we believe that it must be part of the curriculum all year long. That includes telling the stories of Black Americans that are too often left out of the textbooks.

Pennsylvania is home to many who inspire us, from singer Patti LaBelle to playwright August Wilson to gymnast Trinity Thomas. Students benefit when they are able to learn about the contributions of Black Americans to our history and our culture.

PSEA also recognizes that we need more talented young people of color to enter the teaching profession. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania lags most states in the diversity of our educator workforce. We can do better — and we must.

As we tackle a growing teacher shortage in Pennsylvania, we call on policymakers to remove barriers to the teaching profession and encourage greater diversity among the next generation of educators.

Our diversity is our strength as a nation and as a commonwealth. This is something we see every day in our public schools. Celebrating diverse voices in our history must be a priority 365 days a year.

Rich Askey

Harrisburg