Assignment B: Black is Beautiful

Author: Kara Hinderlie

After browsing through the Rethinking Schools site, I stumbled upon "Black Is Beautiful" by Kara Hinderlie. In her article, Kara Hinderlie argues that representation plays an important role in how children understand themselves and others. Hinderlie talks about how she saw some of her Black students being excluded, receiving negative assumptions, and not feeling like they belonged in her classroom. She writes about seeing “the few Black boys in my class targeted as the ones who did something wrong” and one of her Black female students struggling to find acceptance among her White classmates. Hinderlie uses books, poetry, and classroom conversations to create opportunities for her students to challenge negative ideas about Black identity and to recognize that Black people, Black features, and Black culture are beautiful.

I think Hinderlie is trying to tell her readers that children begin learning messages about race and beauty at a very young age. Because society often connects the word “black” with negative meanings, children may begin to believe that Black identity is something less valuable. Hinderlie recognizes this issue and uses her classroom as a place to challenge those ideas. Instead of allowing students to absorb harmful stereotypes, she teaches them that “Black is beautiful” represents pride, value, creativity, and the importance of Black people.

One quote that stood out to me was, “The students listened to me read aloud using a voice of wonderment and adoration—some pages I whispered in reverence.” This quote is important because it

shows how intentionally Hinderlie approached this lesson. Not only did she understand that representation matters, but she was also intentional with her tone when she read particular words aloud. This shows that positivity or negativity is not just visual but also auditory, and that Blackness needs to be presented in positive ways. When she read the poem that included the words, “Black lace, black face. Black is beautiful,” she challenged the idea that the color black represents something negative. Instead, she helped students see Blackness as something meaningful and worthy of appreciation.

Reading this article reminded me of a story I read on the National Museum of African American History and Culture website. The story discussed the Black Is Beautiful Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which developed as a response to racism and Eurocentric beauty standards. The movement challenged the idea that lighter skin, straight hair, and European features represented the standard of beauty. Activists encouraged Black people to embrace their natural hair, skin tones, cultural traditions, and identities. Hinderlie’s classroom lesson reflects this movement because she helps children understand that Black beauty does not need to be compared to another group's standards. Black identity has its own value

Learning Black history and culture is the major message of this reading. During his TEDx Talk, Taofick Okoya explains that many people do not learn enough about African history, important figures, and cultural achievements. He discusses researching Queen Amina and realizing how difficult it was to find information about her accomplishments. This shows how a lack of representation can impact how people understand their own history. This connects to Hinderlie’s statement that she wants her students to “have a basis for appreciating Black people” before learning about difficult historical topics such as slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement. She wants students to understand that Black history is not only about oppression. Black history also includes creativity, achievement, leadership, beauty, and contributions to society.

Another connection I made was to the way representation shapes how Black children see themselves. Hinderlie describes a study in which children chose White dolls over Black dolls, with some children describing the Black dolls as “not as pretty” or “dirty.” This connects back to Okoya’s TEDx Talk, where he explains that his daughter once asked, “Daddy, what color am I?” and later said, “I wish I was white.” Both examples show how children can begin questioning their identities when they do not see themselves positively represented.

Okoya also explains that although he wanted his daughter to feel proud of being Black, he realized he had surrounded her with mostly White dolls. Both of these examples relate to the historical Clark Doll Experiment, which demonstrated how racism and societal attitudes can influence children’s ideas about race and beauty. The Black Is Beautiful Movement worked to challenge these messages by encouraging Black communities to define their own beauty instead of accepting standards created by a society that often excluded them.

One could argue that there is a downside to Hinderlie introducing race into her classroom at such a young age. Some opposing perspectives may argue that focusing on racial identity could create division or that children should focus only on shared humanity. However, Hinderlie and Okoya demonstrate that ignoring race does not remove the influence of stereotypes. Children are already receiving messages

about beauty and identity through the media, toys, and society. Positive representation helps challenge those messages and creates a more inclusive environment.

Another concern is that young children may be too young to discuss race. However, Hinderlie’s lesson focuses on age-appropriate ideas such as kindness, beauty, belonging, and appreciation. She is not teaching children about complex historical systems; she is helping them understand that differences should be respected. Celebrating Black identity also does not mean that other cultures are less important. Instead, it challenges a history in which one group’s appearance and experiences were often treated as the standard for everyone.

After reading Hinderlie’s article, I think representation has a powerful influence on identity, and children need opportunities to see themselves represented positively through education, art, literature, and culture. When Black individuals are able to see their beauty, history, and achievements reflected back at them, it can help build confidence and pride. I still wonder how schools can continue expanding representation so that every student has the opportunity to see themselves valued and celebrated.