One of the greatest outcomes of experiencing culturally responsive teaching is a sense of empowerment. In teaching a graduate course on culturally responsive teaching, I wanted my students to experience that power. To accomplish this, I decided to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of culturally responsive pedagogy and a holistic perspective, but this could not be accomplished by simply sharing exemplars and current research. So, I endeavored to investigate culturally responsive teaching looking through a historical lens at African American education. I became empowered preparing for the class and was anxious to transfer the knowledge, experience, and insight I gained from this hidden treasure to my students. This article gives an overview of culturally responsive education through a historical lens, explaining why it needs to become a part of teacher preparation.