The Black History Nerds Saturday School, a professional development series for pre-K–12 teachers and others interested in learning more about Black history and race, opens Jan. 21 with a virtual presentation titled “A Love Letter to Buffalo: #BuffaloSyllabus and Digital Scholarship.”

The session runs from 11 a.m. to noon. Register online.

In the session, the founders of #Buffalo Syllabus — J. Coley, Robert Mays, William Richardson and Tiana U. Wilson — will explore how academics can use institutional networks for public scholarship and community engagement. In their presentation, the scholar activists will discuss the origin and development of #BuffaloSyllabus and their aspirations for the future use of this educational resource. 

Inspired by the #FergusonSyllabus and #CharlestonSyllabus, the #BuffaloSyllabus seeks to carry on the mission and build upon digital knowledge. The Black Buffalo Syllabus Collective met and compiled research and readings on various aspects relevant to Buffalo’s Black community. For the Jan. 21 presentation, Coley, Mayes, Richardson and Wilson will provide historical, social, political and economic contextualization of Black Buffalo today. Described as a “Love Letter to Buffalo,” the co-creators of the syllabus intentionally designed an online platform that would permanently house accessible resources for people interested in the relationship between race, gender, class, urban planning and environmental justice.

Black History Nerds Saturday School aims to help develop Black history content and pedagogical knowledge.