NABC recommends African-American history course be required in colleges, high schools
Perhaps a required class course in African-American history for higher- and secondary-education students, proposed Monday by the Kansas City-based National Association of Basketball Coaches, could have helped prevent the scene in Alabama Sunday.
A noose was found in Black driver Bubba Wallace’s garage stall at the NASCAR race at Talladega, which was postponed because of poor weather and rescheduled for Monday.
Education is a key, the NABC Committee on Racial Reconciliation says. It has called on the governing bodies of secondary and higher education to establish African-American history as a requisite course before students’ graduation.
According to an NABC news release, the organization will be urging all high schools and colleges to require students to complete at least one course on African-American history or a related topic about the African-American experience in order to receive a diploma.
The committee is co-chaired by Frank Martin of South Carolina, formerly the men’s basketball coach Kansas State, and Harvard men’s basketball coach Tommy Amaker, previously the head coach at Michigan and Seton Hall and a former Duke guard and assistant coach. The recommendation arose during a committee conference call late last week.
“Throughout our committee’s initial discussions, an immediate observation was the overall lack of awareness of the history and issues facing the African-American community,” Martin and Amaker said in a joint statement. “If our country is indeed going to make the necessary strides towards combating racism and injustice, the topic must become a core component of every American’s educational experience.”
The NABC Committee on Racial Reconciliation was formed in response to the death of George Floyd and other recent race-related incidents. The committee’s mission is to address issues related to racial injustice in intercollegiate athletics and society.