At Center for Racial Justice in Education, we believe that the histories, stories, and voices of Black people should be centered, honored, and uplifted in school curricula every day. We also acknowledge the importance, relevance and origins of Black History Month. In 1926, Carter D. Woodson and the ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) launched “Negro History Week” to promote the studying of African American history as a discipline and to celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans. Today, we still see the absence of Black history and experience in our textbooks, required readings, STEM, and overall curriculum of our educational system. As we enter February, the Center for Racial Justice in Education is providing resources to be used beyond the scope of this one-month. Unless Black history is taught throughout the year, it perpetuates an “othering” of Black Lives and Black students, and is also a manifestation of anti-blackness. Ensuring the ongoing integration of Black history and experiences throughout all curriculum is imperative as educators continue to uplift every student and reinforce that Black Lives Matter everyday.
How Do We Celebrate Black History Month? Lesson Plans and Curriculum Resources for Educators:
- The History Behind Black History Month – Teaching Tolerance
- Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History – Teaching Tolerance
- Five Things Not to Do During Black History Month – Zaretta Hammond
- Mining the Jewel of Black History Month – Emily Chiariello
- Four Black History Month Must-Haves – Zaretta Hammond
- Black History Month Is Over. Now What? – Dena Simmons
- Inclusivity of Black History -Teaching Tolerance
- Black History Month resources for the Classroom -PBS
- Celebrate Women This Black History Month -Teaching Tolerance
- Black History Month: How do we change history? Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
- Making Black History Month Memorable -Teaching Tolerance
- Black History Month Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources -Scholastic
- The 45 Days of Black History (Webinar) -Teaching Tolerance
- Creative Resources for Teachers Celebrating Black History Month -Education Week
- 50 Resources for Black History Month – KQED Education
- Black History Month resources for teachers – WeTeachNYC
- Black History Month – Library of Congress, et al.
- Black History Month Resources – Archives.gov
- National Endowment for the Humanities – African American History and Culture in the United States
- National Park Service – Black History Month
- Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of African American History and Culture
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Black History Month
- Black History Month Lessons & Resources – National Education Association
- Black History Teaching Resources – Smithsonian Education
- What Counts as History? – Teaching Tolerance
- Black History Month Resources – ReadingRockets.org
- 6 Teaching Tools for Black History Month – Edutopia
Do We Need Black History Month? The Underrepresentation and Miseducation of Black Stories, Experiences, and Histories in Schools:
- It’s Black History Month. Look in the Mirror. – The NY Times
- Black History Month Isn’t Racist, It’s a Form of Reparations – Jenn M. Jackson
- Teaching Hard History – Teaching Tolerance
- ‘Black Season’ at My White Middle School – Baratunde Thurston
- Black history is bigger than slavery. We should teach kids accordingly – The Guardian
- What Kids Are Really Learning About Slavery – Melinda D. Anderson
- Why we still need Black History Month in the US -Aljazeera
- Why We Need Black History Month and why White History Month is Out of the Question -Odyssey
- 4 Reasons why it’s critical to teach black history -sheknows.com
- We Need to Change How We Teach Black History -TIME
- We Need to Teach Black History in Schools the Right Way -hercampus.com
- Why Black History Month still matters in 2017 -The CS Monitor
- We Teach Racism, Sexism and Discrimination in Schools -HuffPost
- The Black History Month debate is back -MSNBC
- We can no longer teach a whitewashed history’ -The Washington Post
- Is Black History Month limiting the teaching of black history? -CBC News
What Are Ways To Bring Black Lives Matter Into The Classroom? (Curriculum Resources):
- Black Lives Matter in Schools Resources – D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice
- Black Lives Matter in Education-Week of Action Getting Started Packet – Black Lives Matter in NYC Schools
- Black Lives Matter at School-Resources – Ed Justice
- Resources for Educators: Elementary and Early Childhood – Teaching for Change
- Classroom Flyers, Posters, and Visuals – BLM Educators Group
- Resources for Educators: Middle and High School – Teaching for Change
- BLM National Curriculum Folder – NyCoRE
Why Teach Black Lives Matter in Schools? (Think Pieces):
- Why Teaching Black Lives Matter Matters | Part I – Teaching Tolerance
- Bringing Black Lives Matter Into the Classroom | Part II – Teaching Tolerance
- Making Black Lives Matter in Our Schools – Rethinking Schools
- How One Elementary School Sparked A Citywide Movement To Make Black Students Lives Matter – Rethinking Schools
- Teaching #BlackLivesMatter – Teaching for Change
- Black Students’ Lives Matter – Rethinking Schools
- From MLK to #BlackLivesMatter: A Throughline for Young Students -Teaching Tolerance
- Teaching #BlackLivesMatter -Teaching for Change
- Making Black Lives Matter in Our Schools -Rethinking Schools
- Why Teaching Black Lives Matter Matters | Part I -Teaching Tolerance
- How to talk to young children about the Black Lives Matter Guiding Principles -Lalena Garcia
- Hoodies Up! #BlackLivesMatter in the Classroom -Teaching for Change
- Bringing Black Lives Matter Into the Classroom | Part II -Teaching Tolerance
- What happened in Ferguson – and why? -Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
- A District Profile | Black Lives Matter at School -Teaching Tolerance
- How One Elementary School Sparked A Citywide Movement To Make Black Students Lives Matter -Rethinking Schools
- Black Students’ Lives Matter -Rethinking Schools
Where Are Afro-Latinos Represented in School Curricula?
- Diaspora Blackness in the Caribbean: A Radical Resource – Medium
- Afro-Latino: A deeply rooted identity among U.S. Hispanics – Pew Research Center
- Anti-Blackness in Latinx Countries is the Result of Deliberate Cultural Policy – Racebaitr
- Let’s talk about phenotype and global Blackness – Black Youth Project
- This Is What It Means To Be Afro-Latino – HuffPost
- Black history month is a token tribute, but Afro-Latinos don’t even have that – The Guardian
- A Look at Who Gets Left Out of Black History Month – Alternet
- Famous Afro-Latinos Tired Of Trying To Explain To People They’re Black And Latin -Madamenoire
- The question of Blackness: How conversations about Bruno Mars and Cardi B miss the mark -Black Youth Project
- Uncovering Anti-Blackness in Casual Conversation: Young Hollywood’s Words to Amara La Negra -Latino Rebels
- 8 Things Afro-Latinas Are Tired of Hearing -Latina.com
- The Black History of Latinos -Latino Rebels
- Why Latinos Should Also Celebrate Black History Month -Dominicanos USA
- Afro-Latinas Embrace Their Heritage During Black History Month -NBC News
How Do We Center Black Women and Black Girls in Our Schools?
- Celebrate Women This Black History Month – Teaching Tolerance
- Black Womanhood: The Syllabus – Julieta Salgado
- Don’t Forget About Black Girls – Teaching Tolerance
- The Black Girl Pushout – Melinda D. Anderson
- Centering Black Girls’ Literacies: A Review of Literature on the Multiple Ways of Knowing of Black Girls – Gholnecsar E. Muhammad and Marcelle Haddix
- The Biased Policies That Are Pushing Black Girls Out of School – Dayna Evans
- Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, OverPoliced, and Underprotected – Kimberle Crenshaw with Priscilla Ocen and Jyoti Nanda
- From Preschool to Prison: The Criminalization of Black Girls – Mackenzie Chakara
- Getting Black Trans Women’s Needs Met: An Interview With Phoebe VanCleefe – Huff Post
- #SAYHERNAME: Towards a Gender Inclusive Movement for Black Lives – Brittney Cooper
- Murders of trans women highlight the intersection of racial and gender-based violence – Women’s Media Center
- Centering Black Women, Girls, Gender Nonconforming People, and Fem(me)’s in Campaigns for Expanded Sanctuary and Freedom Cities – Andrea J. Ritchie and Monique W. Morris, Ed.D
- Black Girls Are More Than Magic -Gloria Ladson-Billings
- Rediscovering the Black Girl Magic in literature that was snuffed out of my childhood -Black Youth Project
- Centering the Margins: Black Women, Black Girls, Black Youth -Brooklyn Deep
- Say Her Name: What It Means to Center Black Women’s Experiences of Police Violence -Andrea J. Ritchie
- Why Are So Many Transgender Women of Color Being Killed in America? -Tim Teeman
How Do We Center Black LGBTQ Experiences?
- 100+ LGBTQ Black Women You Should Know: The Epic Black History Month – Marie Lynn Bernard
- Supporting Black LGBTQ Students – GLSEN
- Trans Women of Color Collective: Shifting the Narrative – Trans Women of Color Collective
- What it’s like being Black and queer in school – Shantal Otchere
- Black LGBTQ History: Teachers Must Do a Better Job – Teaching Tolerance
- Blackedout History Celebrating Black LGBTQ History Month – GSA Network
- Navigating Community Institutions: Black Transgender Women’s Experiences in Schools, the Criminal Justice System, and Churches – Louis F Graham, et al.
- Why I’m Nonbinary but Don’t Use ‘They/Them” – Ashleigh Shackelford
- GLAAD celebrates black LGBT icons throughout Black History Month – Alexandra Bolles
- A Dedication To Kerrice Lewis & All The Black Queer Bodies Sacrificed… – Evolve Benton
- Black Gay History and the Fight Against AIDS – Dan Royles
- Redesigned pride flag recognizes LGBT people of color -CNN
- Growing Up Gay in Black America: An Exploration of the Coming Out Process of Queer African American Youth -DeMarquis Clarke
- New Report Details the Experiences of Being Black and Transgender in the U.S. -Jordan Dashow
As a Parent, What Are Ways I Can Engage My Family in Black History Month?:
- 45 Books to Teach Children About Black History – The Culture
- African American History Month Resources for Parents – Adlit.org
- Learning More About Black History for Parents and Families – NYC Dept. of Education
- 5 ways to celebrate Black History Month with your family – ChicagoNow.com
- 8 Black History Month Books and Resources for Kids -JusticeJonesie
- Celebrating Black History and Diversity Builds Self-Esteem and Empathy -Too Small to Fail
- African American History For Kids -University of Illinois Extension
- Top 15 children’s books for black history month -Family Education
- How to talk to your child about Black History Month (A script) -Mama Knows it All
- Black Children and Black History: The Importance Of Teaching Our Kids the Complexity Of Us -My Brown Baby