A Community Celebration: “Growing Up Black in South Madison” Joins MMSD Curriculum

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to share a proud moment for our community: “Growing Up Black in South Madison” by Dr. Richard Harris will be used as a textbook in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)!

This inspiring book will serve as a supplemental text in Modern U.S. African American History courses for 11th and 12th graders at West, East, La Follette, and Memorial High Schools, and its integration at Capital and Shabazz High Schools is being explored.

𝗧𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
✔️ 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
✔️ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 2:45 PM – 4:00 PM
✔️ 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Black Business Hub, 2352 S Park St, Madison, WI

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
The event will feature a short program highlighting how the book will be used in classrooms and the impact it will have on students. Speakers include:

✔️ 𝗗𝗿. 𝗥𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗝𝗿., President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison, an early supporter of the book
✔️ 𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱, MMSD Superintendent, whose family is featured in the book
✔️ 𝗠𝗿. 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘀, Sociology Teacher at Memorial High School and the first to incorporate the book into his classes in 2019
✔️ 𝗗𝗿. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗲, MMSD Social Studies Lead, who helped guide the book’s integration into the curriculum
✔️ 𝗗𝗿. 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸, Associate Professor at UW-Madison, who will oversee graduate students conducting research on how the book enhances teaching and student learning

This gathering is not only a celebration of the book’s inclusion in MMSD’s curriculum but also a chance to honor the educators, leaders, and community members who made this possible. We’ll also acknowledge the contributions of key supporters, such as Dr. Floyd Rose, Dr. Ruben Anthony Jr., and many others.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆
Seats are limited, so we encourage you to RSVP by emailing Magugu Davis at [email protected] at your earliest convenience.

Let’s come together to celebrate this moment of pride and progress for our community and our schools. We look forward to seeing you there!