His passion for teaching Black history is fueled by his students’ eagerness to learn it. During class the day before visiting Fort Monroe, he stalked the aisles as he lectured and challenged his students to share their opinions on how they understood freedom. At Fort Monroe, he milled among the students on the tour, imparting bits of added depth to the information shared by the guide. He laughed with them. He bought some of them lunch.
“Teaching is a blessing for me,” Allison said. “It’s intrinsic. When kids come back 10, 15 years later and say, ‘Mr. Allison, you were a part of my success,’ that’s powerful.”
Alexander is the oldest of three children. A Granby football player with a 4.6 grade point average, he works with the Down Syndrome Association of Hampton Roads. His father’s father hails from Trinidad, his mother from St. Lucia. He was named Justice “because it fits into how my dad wanted my world to be shaped.”
The power of learning Black history for Alexander resonates in how he speaks about it. “I took this course to have a better understanding of my history as a Black person in America,” he said. Until now, he said, so much of Black history had “been glossed over — there’s hardly any real mention of slavery and its impact in most history classes. So, getting this greater context and perspective is eye-opening.”
His classmate Ariyana Roman said she was miffed that she did not know Fort Monroe existed.
“I have lived in Virginia for 11 years and I had no clue this was here, and I’ve taken regular history courses for years,” Roman, 17, said.
If anything, Allison’s teaching has only helped her feel more empowered.
“Everything I learn in this class enhances who I am,” Roman said. “The class acknowledges all that’s…
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