Resident urges Springfield schools to teach ancient African history from pre-K through high school
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Summary
Steven Howard told the Dec. 15 public speak-out that Springfield students should learn ancient African history (Kemet, Ethiopia, Egypt) as part of standard K–12 curricula so children see broader historical contributions beyond narratives that start with enslavement.
SPRINGFIELD — At the Dec. 15 public speak-out, Steven Howard of the McKnight Neighborhood urged Springfield officials to expand K–12 school curricula to include ancient African history.
Howard said instruction should reach "back to ancient Africa," naming Kemet, Ethiopia and Egypt, and argued that students often encounter a history that begins with enslavement rather than thousands of years of African civilization and innovation. "A lot of our children don't know of the greatness of our history," he said, adding that tertiary institutions already offer such courses but K–12 instruction is largely selective and not mandatory.
Howard described examples he said demonstrate ancient African contributions, including large-scale water systems he said predated Greek adoption, and argued that Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates studied in Egypt and Ethiopia before returning to Greece. He said he has begun "putting out some feelers" with the school committee but had not yet formally presented the proposal.
Howard called for curriculum changes to be integrated from pre-kindergarten through high school to ensure children learn a fuller account of historical contributions across civilizations. The public comments did not include a response from school officials, and no formal proposals or motions were recorded during the meeting.
The council recessed the public comment period and no next procedural steps were recorded in the meeting minutes for school-district follow-up.