Community Spirit Despite Unequal Resources: The Segregated Education of Blacks in the Howard County Public School System, 1935-1965. (Part 1 of 3; Online)

This 3-part webinar will cover the early educational pursuits of African Americans in Howard County. It explores the segregated secondary schools of Howard County, Maryland and circumstances that gave rise to their formation. Also highlighted will be the achievements, hardships, and organizing activities that were necessary to maintain schooling for African Americans in Howard County. This webinar aims to dispel the narrative suggesting that segregated schools had low learning standards and were ineffective, generating poor academic and social outcomes. Through centering the voices of the Black students, faculty, parents, and extended community, the schooling experiences of Cooksville High School and Harriet Tubman Senior High School will be analyzed. These were all-Black segregated schools that served as the first secondary schools for Black students in the Howard County Public School System. Despite being underfunded and having lesser opportunities, segregated Black schools and the Black community of Howard County successfully empowered its students through tight-knit relationships, high academic standards, and a strong community spirit.

This is the first session in a 3 part series. 

• Register here for the second session on June 15 at 7 pm.
• Register here for the third session on June 22 at 7 pm. 

Marcus “Sankofa” Nicks holds a master's degree in African American Studies from Morgan State University of Baltimore, Maryland. His research primarily focuses on African American educational history post Civil War through the Jim Crow era.

He has worked in Maryland’s Howard County Public School System for over 11 years as an Achievement Liaison for the Black Student Achievement Program. In this capacity, he has worked with countless students grades 6-12 as an advocate, mindset coach, and educational consultant for numerous educators on supporting Black students through a culturally relevant trauma-informed approach. He is the co-teacher of African American Studies Seminar and serves as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coalition for Wilde Lake High School of Columbia, Maryland.

His mission is to empower, educate, and inspire others through the awareness of African American Culture and History. He is a proud husband and father who is passionate about his role to uplift his community.