By Ian Bernstein ’18

The newly proposed Voices of Protest elective hopes to instill knowledge and appreciation for multiculturalism. The semester-long English course plans to run during the 2017-2018 school year and offers a curriculum specifically centered around the lives of African Americans and the significance of protest in making their voices heard.

Staples  once  offered  African American Literature, which chronologically studied texts that ranged from pieces written during slavery all the way to modern day. But the course has not run for at least the past eight years due to a lack of enrollment.  In an effort to build more interest, the course’s name was revamped and the curriculum altered so that it would link the literature to the African American resistance movement.

“We’re not starting back at day one with slave narratives anymore,” Julie Heller, the English Department  Chair,  said. “We  need to get a sense of what is happening with the African American voice today.”

As Heller indicated, the course intends to feature a variety of current articles and nonfiction texts by critically acclaimed African American authors like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Joy Reid. Music, dance, popular culture, television and film will also be studied to fully understand the African American identity.  

Because of its modern twist that plays into the current political climate, many students are already interested in taking the course next year. Olivia Payne ’18 finds the course description to be fascinating and claims that the course’s appeal originates from students’ newfound passion for expression in reaction to recent political happenings.

“There are many students who care about political issues and getting their voices heard,” Payne stated. “With recent events in the country, I feel like this class has become closer to our lives.”

In relation to Payne, Theo Koskoff ’18 believes the pull of the class stems from the desire to comprehend the weight of oppression and the burden it imposes on its victims.

Considering the predominantly white makeup of the Staples student body, this course could help minimize the community’s lack of insight into African Americans’ lives.  

“The most effective way to empathize with someone who you’ll never truly understand is through art,” Koskoff said. “Exposure to literature from groups who we cannot connect with is essential for understanding the challenges of being an oppressed group in the United States.”  

In turn, Heller said that Voices of Protest could prepare its students for the inevitable encounters with individuals of different races and backgrounds throughout their lives.  

“There continue to be struggles[…] that have to do with race and racial identity,” Heller said. “Much of them are combatted with protest and resistance, and we need to learn how that is significant.”