By Haley Ware
February is upon us and there is no better time than now to honor Black history. Black Lives Matter and Black history is and should be, at the forefront of this generation. In recent years, heartbreaking stories around the history and treatment of Black Americans have been featured on national news channels, as awareness around these issues has grown. As educators, it is important that we use this time to spread knowledge and acceptance for Black citizens and Black history. Although this should be a more consistent focal point in our education system, starting to incorporate resources into your classroom in the month of February is a great start.
Black History Month is celebrated throughout the whole month of February. The forerunner of Black History Month was Carter G. Woodson. In 1915 Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. The organization declared in 1926, that the second week of February would be “Negro History Week”, to recognize African American contributions to US history. In 1976, U.S. President Gerald Ford declared February to be Black History Month to recognize all accomplishments by Black Americans throughout history. Black History Month has been celebrated in the US ever since. Canada, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands have also joined the US in celebrating Black history in their cultures as well.
It is so important to teach history and achievements that span beyond the caucasian focused sources we readily have at our fingertips. It might take a little extra digging but including resources that focus on and celebrate the accomplishments of people of color into any lesson is a great way to expand the cultural awareness and sensitivity of your students.
Here are some tools to get you started :
- Click here for books for the classroom
- Click here for general teaching tools for Black History Month
- Click here for non-fiction articles and reading passages
- Click here for lesson plans and resources that are broken down by grade levels
- Click here for some free worksheets and printables
Here are some personal recommendations from Haley:
- Book to spark conversation: If You Were a Kid During the Civil Rights Movement by Gwendolyn Hooks
- YouTube video of the book The ABC’s of Black History
- Hair Love- A short film (Here) with resources (Here)
- Amanda Gorman 2021 Presidential Inauguration Poem (Here)
Photo Credit: Joy, K., 2021. The Hill We Climb. [image] Available at: <https://pipafineart.blog/category/articles/> [Accessed 18 February 2021].
