Black History month in February is an opportunity to broaden your understanding of the role of
African-Americans in history. Here are some resources to help you and your family learn more and take part in the celebration.
1. Start by taking the Black past quiz on familyeducation.com ( http://www.familyeducation.com/quiz/0,1399,1-4888,00.html'relinks ).
2. Another great resource is www.blackhistory.com.
There you can purchase videos such as “The Black West” or “Abubakari: The Explorer Kind of Mali.” These are winners of the Gold Apple from the
national Educational media Association, Telly Award.
They also have activity books, books, candy, foodand holders, celebration items, clothing andaccessories, drinkware and tableware, keychains and magnets, posters, printed handouts, programs, ribbons, pins and buttons, school and stationery supplies and writing instruments.
You can add your stories, articles and researchpapers to their online collection.
Be sure and check out the Multicultural sectionwhere you’ll find American cultures for childrenvideos, American history, holidays for children(Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Chinese New year,Cinco de Mayo), multicultural peoples of North America and more.
3. On this site ( http://www.euronet.nl/users/jubo/february.html ), you’ll find multigenerational ways of celebrating, and a great list of stories, poems, song and art by Afro-Americans.
4. The African-American Mosaic
( http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html ), A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the study of Black history & culture, includes many resources, including ex-slave narratives.
5. The list of inventions by Blacks is truly amazing. Go here to read about them: http://www.everythingpreschool.com hemes/blackhistory/list.htm.
You’re probably familiar with George Washington Carver, but did you know Alfred Benjamin invented stainless steel pads; John A.Burr invented the
lawn mower; George Carruthers invented the image converter radiation detector; L.F. Brown invented the horse bridle bit; and Sarah Boone invented the
ironing board?
6. The Harlem Renaissance was an important event in the history of literature, knowledge and arts in the US. You can read about it here:
http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/aavaahp.htm#harlem.
Dr. Alain Leroy Locke, a native of Philadelphia and magna cum laude graduate of Harvard in 1907, is
considered the driving force behind the artists of this era.
A Phi Beta Kappa, he was also the first
African-American Rhodes Scholar. He studied Greek and Philosophy at Oxford and received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1918. He was the author of “The
New Negro,” and “The Negro in Art,” celebrating African-Americans in the arts.
7. African Americans have figured prominently in the arts, and here you can see a library of works:
http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/aavaahp.htm.
Take a look at the art of Thomas Blackshear ( http://www.blackshearonline.com ), the prolific works of Edward Mitchell Banniester (
http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/cgi-bin/search/isearch.pl?
DBpcdbimages&FORMATone&FPASSN&
FHIT1&ESETRECORD&QUERYLAST/
Bannister+and+FIRST/Edward ), “Shot Gun Third Ward #1, by John Biggers (
http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/images/1987/1987.56.11b.jpg ), Elizabeth Catlett’s “Singing Head” ( http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/images/1989/1989.521b.jpg
), “Southern Gate” by Eldzier Cortor
( http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/cgi-bin/search/isearch.pl?
DBpcdbimages&FPASSN&FORMATone&
FHIT1&ESETRECORD&QUERYLAST/CORTOR
++and+FIRST/ELDZIER+ ), and start here for the many paintings of Jacob
Lawrence (
http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/cgi-bin/search/isearch.pl?
DBpcdbimages&FPASSN&FORMATone&FHIT
1&ESETRECORD&QUERYLAST/Lawrence+and+
FIRST/Jacob+ ).
9. On www.who2.com, you can read the profiles of prominent Blacks.
Included are civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Internet pioneer, Phillip Ameagwali, Contralto
Marian Anderson, Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Physician and plasma innovator, Charles Drew, M.D., Baseball pioneer, Jackie Robinson, Home run champ, Hank Aaron, Olympic sprinters, Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph, blues legend, Robert Johnson, Oscar-winning
actor, Sidney Poitier, jazz composer Duke Ellington, bandleader, Count Basie, author and poet, Maya Angelou,
blues singer Big Mama Thornton, scientist, George Washington Carver, arctic explorer, Matthew Henson,
and gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson.
10. Why not schedule the African-American Drama Company to come to your town for a celebration? ( http://www.african-american-drama-company.org/pages/1/index.htm ).
With their play comes a full day of classes and workshops FREE, allowing people of all races to see their personal connection to African American
culture. They offer an enjoyable way to become more familiar with African American accomplishment. Producable in any space large enough to accommodate the anticipated audience. Low technical requirements, exceedingly high
performance, they say.
11. Read the ten most dramatic events in African-American history here -
http://www.black-history.biz/black-history/.
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