Anthropology in High School: A Mission to Equip Young Students with the Tools and Knowledge to Navigate Social Justice Initiatives

Anthropology as a field of study teaches many important concepts essential to understanding the human condition and accepting all forms of diversity. Unfortunately, most students only begin to encounter anthropological ideas at the collegiate level. In this commentary, I argue that teaching the concepts of cultural relativity and ethnocentrism, two foundational components of anthropological understanding, at the high school level can better equip our younger generation with empathy, understanding, and respect. These three capacities are especially crucial when reacting to today's political and social upheavals, like the Black Lives Matter Movement. Anthropology encourages students to unlearn any prejudices by reflecting on the internalized biases that limit their acceptance of human difference. I assert that this necessary introspection extends to the discipline itself, as anthropologists recognize (and make students aware of) the role early anthropology played in perpetuating the racial biases still present today. Despite (and, indeed, because of) this weighted history, Anthropology and the awareness and appreciation of human diversity it inspires must be used as a tool to teach future generations in American secondary education to recognize and embrace the beauty of difference.