Black History Nerds Saturday School

Black History Nerds Saturday School is our professional development series for pre-K–12 school teachers and others interested in learning more about Black history and race. These one-hour sessions aim to help develop Black history content pedagogical knowledge. Professional development credits are possible.

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Virtual Sessions

Cheryl Fields-Smith, PhD | University of Georgia

Sovereign Learning: Black Home Education From Historical Necessity to Contemporary Choice

Sept. 13, 2025

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Khalid el-Hakim, PhD | Founder and Curator of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum

The Black History 101 Mobile Museum and the Million Man March

Oct. 11, 2025 | 11 a.m. ET

Stefan Bradley, PhD | Amherst College

"If We Don’t Get: A People’s History of Ferguson" and Reflections on 10 Years of Black Lives Matter

Nov. 8, 2025 | 11 a.m. ET

Using his newest book, "If We Don't Get: A People's History of Ferguson," as a reference, award-winning educator and scholar Stefan M. Bradley will highlight the work of leaders from the modern democracy movement that grew from the Ferguson Uprising of 2014-2015. Black youth, eschewing respectability and tradition, quickly mobilized to protect their community from state repression after a white law enforcement officer shot dead Michael Brown, Jr., an unarmed recent Black high school graduate. Using their voices and bodies, fearless activists took to the streets to demonstrate their desire to be recognized as humans and citizens worthy of life. Following his students, Bradley, a young professor at an area university, joined the young democrats in their campaign to get justice for their peer and to reconceptualize the look of American leadership.

Daniella Cook Sumpter, PhD | University of South Carolina

Voices Still Crying out From the Wilderness: Lessons From Black Educators 20 years post Katrina

Dec. 13, 2025 | 11 a.m. ET

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall and devastated the city of New Orleans. In the aftermath, the Orleans Parish School Board put 7,500 school employees on unpaid disaster leave on September 15, 2005, and 4,500 teachers were fired. This resulted in the largest displacement of Black educators since desegregation. Black educators have played a pivotal role in supporting the academic and nonacademic needs of students while serving as important bridges between schools and the broader community.

In her work, Cook Sumpter explored the experiences of Black educators with school reforms in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She used a unique approach: creating "composite character counter stories"—composite narratives drawn from in-depth research—to highlight their perspectives and insights. Her presentation focuses on the lasting educational impact and lessons learned from these reforms.