Black History Month

Although we discuss race, racism and civil rights issues throughout the year, we thought we would add some special items for Black History month, which takes place every year during the month of February.

THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

Click on the image below for resources on this important cultural period

BLACK LIVES MATTER, spring 2020

Even though we could not be together to read and talk about the difficult topics of racism and civil rights during May and June of 2020, we wanted to share some books and resources that could be helpful when you are trying to understand what was happening around the country at that time.

We had the coronavirus and quarantine to deal with. On top of that a lot of businesses were struggling and not able to pay their workers, so some families were facing problems with housing, and with having enough food to eat. Some communities, and especially the black community, were affected more severely by the coronavirus, and the housing and food shortages. That is because they have not been treated in the same way as other communities over many, many years. Overall, the education, healthcare, housing, job opportunities and even the pollution levels in the environment, have been worse for communities of color than for white communities. Another important difference has been in the way that they have been treated by some police officers. 

You have probably learned something about when black people were slaves in the United States, and about the laws that came later to make sure that black and white citizens still did not have the same rights. Those “Jim Crow” laws were mostly in the Southern states, and were ended by the hard work of Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders, who worked hard over many years to get equal rights under the law, for all people in the USA. 

Unfortunately, although changing the laws was a great achievement, it was not enough to make things right. Things are still not right, and this is another important moment in the history of our country. You may be trying to understand what is happening, and you may be wondering if there's something you can do. Our advice is to talk to your family and talk to your teachers. Listen, and learn all that you can about how we got to this moment. Listen and learn about what people have done in the past, and are doing now, to try and make a difference. 

Above is a book, read by its author that explains what racism is. Below is a read aloud, “Child of the Civil Rights movement”, about a young girl who watched her family working with Dr. King, 50 years ago, to make change. It was scary and hard then as well, but she was proud of what she and her family were able to achieve. There is also a video that shows how racism has continued to make life harder for black communities, even after the laws were changed. 

Further down, there are details on how to access some additional resources, that are best shared with an adult.

You can also find read-alouds of "One" by Kathryin Otoshi, about standing up for others, and "All are Welcome!" written by Alexandra Penfold and illustrated Suzanne Kaufman, on the following page, which also features the Anti-Bullying Promise.