2025 North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference

Presenters will introduce LaGarrett King’s Black historical consciousness framework as the basis of the presentation and engage participants using historical thinking skills (sourcing, context, multiple perspectives, etc.). Participants will analyze a letter to Rosa Parks as a gateway into exploring the Wilmington 10 as a counter narrative to school desegregation after Brown v. Board. The session will include an overview of school integration in Wilmington, NC, the closing of Williston High School and the reaction to the closing, and the Wilmington 10. Digital sources that can be used in 4th grade, 8th grade, and US history courses will be shared.

8th-grade students will present during this session. Experience the power of place-based learning and student-driven storytelling with "Voices of Freedom." This session showcases a unique collaboration with the African American Heritage Commission and Carolina K-12 to develop a Junior Docent Tour for North Carolina’s Freedom Park in Raleigh—a site celebrating the legacy of Black Carolinians, Freedom, and Resilience. Learn how eight middle school students from The Exploris School are mastering public history as they uncover and share the lives behind the park’s iconic quotes. Participants will explore how this project engages students in meaningful, interdisciplinary studies connecting American and North Carolina history, civics, and cultural heritage.

This hands-on, inquiry-based approach equips students with public speaking skills, historical research capabilities, and a deeper appreciation of the stories shaping our society. Join us to discover strategies for implementing similar projects in your community, empowering students to become active stewards of history. Through Jr. Docent programs like this, we can inspire the next generation to preserve and teach critical narratives while fostering a greater understanding of diversity, equity, and justice in the historical record. Suitable for educators in American and North Carolina history, this session promises to leave you inspired and equipped to make history come alive in your classrooms.