At James Monroe Middle School located in northwest Albuquerque, seventh grade New Mexico history teacher Jon Stauss teaches lesser-known Black History Month lessons to his students.
“For Black History Month, my classes engage in a three-day unit on the town of Blackdom near modern day Roswell,” Stauss said. “It was established and settled by Black sharecroppers coming into the state from places like Georgia at the turn of the 20th century.”
Francis (Frank) Marion Boyer, the leader of the group who created Blackdom Townsite Company in 1903, began his search for an area to settle after being threatened by the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan in his home state of Georgia, according to the National Park Service.
Boyer and his wife, Ella, both worked as teachers in Georgia. He originally heard stories about New Mexico from his father, a former Buffalo Soldier himself. “Buffalo Soldiers” was the nickname given to Black men who served in the United States Army by Native Americans, according to a textbook excerpt Stauss shared with the Daily Lobo. Eight Buffalo Soldiers from New Mexico were granted the Medal of Honor.
The couple would go on to make education a focus of Blackdom’s mission as a Black community, according to the NPS.
Though Stauss said his unit on Blackdom is out of chronological order from the rest of the curriculum, he said he believes “it is important to include these voices during February.” Stauss also discusses the experiences of enslaved people in New Mexico and Buffalo Soldiers later in the year during his unit on the 19th century.
Though New Mexico does not require that materials specifically related to Black History Month be taught in public primary schools, discussions of racial and cultural identity are included in the state standards for social studies instructional material from kindergarten through 12th grade in varying levels of complexity.
The textbook used by James Monroe Middle School for seventh grade social studies includes portions devoted to New Mexico’s history as a slave territory prior to the Civil War and regiments of Buffalo Soldiers whose members were from the state.
On Friday, Feb. 7, Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Gabriella Blakey issued a statement detailing the achievements of prominent Black figures in American history.
“As we celebrate Black History Month, I challenge you to find your own examples of excellence and share them with your students, your family members and everyone who will listen,” Blakey wrote in the statement.
Elliott Wood is a beat reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
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