A Vermont legislator has introduced a bill that would require a three-credit college course in African American history to be licensed as a teacher, reports the Associated Press.
Rep. Maida Townsend, D-South Burlington, introduced the bill last week and hopes that it will, at a minimum, lead to a dialogue,
Townsend said that racial issues can occur in any classroom and that it is important for educators to understand the history of race in America to handle those occurrences.
“We are very much aware that implicit bias and outright racism are entrenched in our culture and need to be addressed,” she said. “Teachers are often asked to deal with one thing after another after another. …This matter of racism, implicit or overt, is very much a part of our day.”
Townsend, a retired teacher and former president of the Vermont-National Education Association, said the bill has been introduced in the House periodically since 2009.
