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

Akil Parker, M.Ed | CEO of All This Math

Expanding So-Called NIL Deals of Historical Exemplars

Jan. 10, 2026 | 11 a.m. ET

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Abigail Henry | Schomburg Fellow and GSE PhD Student

Ismael Jimenez | Co-Chair of Big City Social Studies

Honoring the Legacy: Creating the Blackprint 20

Feb. 21, 2026 | 11 a.m. ET

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Tiffany M. Nyachae, PhD | Penn State University

But What Did Black Educators Already Teach Us about Reading Instruction? Exposing Paucity in the Science of Reading and other Approaches

March 14, 2026 | 11 a.m. ET

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Natasha Henry-Dixon, PhD | York University

Freedom for Me and also for Thee: The History and Significance of Binational Emancipation Day Commemorations

Apr. 11, 2026 | 11 a.m. ET

Abstract: August First, or Emancipation Day, which marks the abolition of slavery in British colonies in 1834, was commemorated in Canada and places in the United States well into the early twentieth century. These events were often attended by Black people on either side of the Canadian-US border and at times were co-organized. Dr. Henry-Dixon will discuss the history of Emancipation Day and the binational nature of observances. This talk will highlight the ways in which cross-border commemorations symbolized collective visions of freedom, citizenship, and community and will identify lessons that can be learned in contemporary efforts to resist the attacks against Black history.

Daphanie Bibbs | University at Buffalo

Beyond the Birds and the Bees: Black Mothers’ Perceptions of Sexual Education and Reproductive Health

May 9, 2026 | 11 a.m. ET

Abstract: Traditional sexual education frameworks, particularly those embedded within school-based sexual health curricula, often fail to account for the lived realities of Black girls, who navigate intersecting forces of racialized adultification, gendered stereotypes and heightened surveillance of their bodies. Within this context, Black mothers and mother figures’ engagement in sexual and reproductive health education emerges as a critical practice of care, protection and resistance that both supplements and contests institutional instruction. This study examines how historical, cultural and social forces shape the ways Black mothers and mother figures perceive, interpret and transmit sexual education to Black girls in relation to formal school curricula. Centering their navigation of “the talk,” the study explores how these caregivers prepare girls for reproductive health milestones while addressing gaps, silences and misrepresentations within school-based sexual health education. By foregrounding maternal and caregiving knowledge alongside intergenerational strategies of survival, this research contributes to broader conversations on bodily autonomy, culturally responsive sexual education and the role of Black motherhood and mothering practices in disrupting dominant frameworks that pathologize Black girlhood and regulate Black girls’ sexuality.