‘Stay dropping knowledge:’ Mississippi teacher goes viral with lesson in Black History

MOSS POINT, MS (WLOX) - What started as a simple history lesson at school in Moss Point has now become a viral sensation.

Jovan Bradshaw is a sixth grade math teacher at Magnolia Middle School, but she decided to teach her students something other than addition and multiplication this Black History Month.

"It all started with this little boy in my class. We were talking and he said, ‘Slaves didn’t do much because they couldn’t read or write.’ He kinda caught me off guard,' Bradshaw said. “I said, ‘Baby, if I snatched you up and dropped you off in China or Germany or Africa even, you wouldn’t be able to read and write their language either. Does that make you useless or any less educated?’”

Since posting the picture of her door to her Facebook account, the photo has been shared more than 100,000 times in the course of just a few days.

“So many of our African-American students don’t know where they come from. All they are taught is slavery, the servitude side only,” Bradshaw said. “They need to know that we were great long before slavery. We built a country with our blood, sweat and tears, and the strength of our ancestors is why they can be great today. You have to see people who look like you contributing to society, and the African contribution is left out at school. I teach math, but I’m woke and I plan on waking up every student that comes through the halls of MMS.”

Bradshaw is also running for Teacher of the Year at Magnolia Middle School.

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