ESSENCE Poll: Is It Ever Too Early to Teach a Child About the Civil Rights Movement?

How soon is too soon to start learning about Black history? Ask the administration at an Atlanta elementary school and they would say third grade is a little too early.

WSB TV reports that the school sent an email to parents saying they canceled a field trip to the Center for Human and Civil Rights because the subject of the museum would too emotional for the younger third grade students.

“What better age to catch them than when they’re younger, when their minds are so impressionable to discuss these things?” asked Kristen Toliver whose third-grader is missing the trip. “It’s not about emotions. It’s about that it’s culturally uncomfortable toc talk about. But guess what? We’ll never get over that if we don’t talk about it.”

The school clarified that the fifth graders were still encouraged to go on the trip, but they stood by their stance that third graders are too young for the museum.

What do you think? Is it ever too soon to teach a child about Civil Rights or any other part of their history? Take our poll and share your thoughts in the comments below.

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