What was the name of the young girl who wrote about her experiences while hiding out for several years for fear of harassment, torture and death if she was found?

If you guessed Anne Frank you wouldn’t be incorrect or alone in your answer. But you would be more connected to German history than that of your own country.

And you — like many adults today — likely missed out on the story of Harriet Jacobs, the author of “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.”

For decades schools simply didn’t expose children to the works of black authors. Often the lack of literature lessons from America’s minority were not simply omitted by teachers or schools — they weren’t in textbooks, classroom resources or local libraries.

Then, sometime after the mid 1970s, schools began focusing on black writers, inventors, scientists, revolutionaries and more during the month of February — in celebration of Black History Month.

But now, most of us realize it’s a bit silly to condense such a huge part of our American history down to just one month.

Teachers in all our local schools work year round to include the works of famous black authors and the lessons of less famous black Americans in their curriculum.

Their work exposes our children to a crucial part of American history, one on which many adults have simply missed out.

We are glad today’s generations have the chance to truly understand all sides of history. And we know their studies are preparing them for a better tomorrow.

If you don’t know about Jacobs, ask a student near you or head to the local library. She tells an important part of our nation’s history.