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

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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

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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

Abstract: This presentation will explore the history behind the Blackprint 20, a historical moment in Black educational history sponsored by the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED). Grounded in the centennial of Carter G. Woodson’s launch of Negro History Week and the milestone of Philadelphia’s African American History graduation requirement, the Blackprint 20 invites reflection on how Black history has been preserved, contested, and carried forward over time. This talk will provide an overview of how the Blackprint 20 became a grassroots movement to bring educators together in Black history solidarity. Through collective learning and shared purpose, the Blackprint 20 celebrates Philadelphia’s leadership in Black history education.

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

Abstract: TThe reading achievement of Black students is often cited as deficient and representative of a larger reading “crisis” in the United States to advance the Science of Reading (SOR) and other mainstream approaches to reading instruction. Yet, Black educators’ historical and contemporary reading expertise and practices with Black students are not seriously studied or even considered in prevailing debates around effective instructional methods for reading proficiency. For this reason, Nyachae cautions Black educators against hastily taking any side in current reading debates. Merging her personal experiences as a literacy teacher, the reading instructional practices of Black educators in segregated schools and the concerns of Black educators today, Nyachae invites educators to consider the reading processes, expertise and sciences of Black educators who were successful in developing reading proficiency among Black students while remaining rooted in liberation and social justice. Significantly, what constitutes science, sound reading instruction and evidence matter in efforts to eradicate reading inequities.

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.