Black History and Culture Resources

Check out some of the many resources available for both teachers and students to explore about Black History. Remember Black History doesn't just happen in February. It happens every day in the present and past. Black culture is all around us.

A visual history of social dance in 25 movesWhy do we dance? African-American social dances started as a way for enslaved Africans to keep cultural traditions alive and retain a sense of inner freedom. They remain an affirmation of identity and independence. In this electric demonstration, packed with live performances, choreographer, educator and TED Fellow Camille A. Brown explores what happens when communities let loose and express themselves by dancing together.

Celebrating Black History Month in the Classroom | Waterford.orgFind ways to get the whole class involved while celebrating Black History Month in the classroom.

Celebrating Black History MonthCarter G. Woodson's efforts to spotlight African American history lead to the creation of Black History Month, the observation we celebrate today. Featured also is a set of Museum events for Black History Month 2021.

National Museum of African American History and CultureGreetings from the Education Team of the National Museum of African American History and Culture!! The National Museum of African American History a...

Brown v. Board of Education: Achieving Equality LessonIn this classroom activity, students will analyze political cartoons and letters to the editor in order to identify and analyze the range of reactions to the Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision, and the ways in which the Court's mandates were enacted or blocked. Students will also be able to connect a more recent civil rights or education issue to the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education. This lesson is part of the online exhibition entitled Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education.

February 2021: Honoring Black Agency & Black JoyBlack history is central to all of American history, and should be part of a robust teaching curriculum year-round. Alongside the lessons of Black history, it’s also critical to honor the resilience, creativity, and vitality of Black people in the face of inequity and violence, past and present. That’s why, this year, we’re celebrating Black History Month by honoring the themes of Black Agency & Black Joy.

African American HistoryFebruary is Black History Month! Visit our heritage month page and enjoy the many resources presented here about African American history.Diverse peoples of African descent have shaped, and continue to shape, the United States and established lasting legacies in the process. Through African American history, we encounter the fundamental ideas and experiences of our nation: slavery and freedom; displacement and settlement; justice and oppression. We ask: who is an American? How can we be a united country? Though no exhibit, program, blog, collection, or book can capture the fullness of African American history, the content on this page highlights the tone, texture, and weight of this history. You are invited to use this material to explore stories rooted in African American history—stories not only concerning race, but also class, gender, sexuality, dis/ability, ethnicity, religion, region, citizenship status, and other elements of identity.Photo above: Marian Anderson performing at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939. Scurlock Studio Records, Series 4: Black and White Negatives Box 618.04.86, Archives Center (AC0618ns0227136-01jp)ExhibitionsGreensboro Lunch Counter (currently on view)Reckoning with Remembrance: History, Injustice, and the Murder of Emmett Till (online)This bullet-riddled River Site marker was recently collected by the museum and displayed in the exhibition "Reckoning with Remembrance: History, Injustice, and the Murder of Emmett Till." (2020.0077.01)PodcastsThe Fugitive Brewer | Smithsonian SidedoorLena Richard | Smithsonian SidedoorMuhammad Ali’s Robe | Lost at the SmithsonianListen to an episode of the Smithsonian's "Sidedoor" podcast focused on Patsy Young, an enslaved African American woman who fled to freedom in 1808 and made a life for herself brewing beer.VideosIn addition to the recent highlights below, the museum's YouTube channel has many more videos that explore African American history. The Program in African American History and Culture and Reckoning with Remembrance: History, Injustice, and the Murder of Emmett Till playlists are excellent places to start.Reflections on the Greensboro Lunch CounterRecovering Food Histories with Toni Tipton-Martin and Friends Stories of Black Philanthropy: Treasures from the National Museum of American HistoryWhat did Tulsa’s Greenwood District look like in the mid-1900s? | Harold M. Anderson Black Wall Street Film CollectionHow are museums collecting around COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter? | Pandemic PerspectivesRace and Place: Yellow Fever and the Free African Society in Philadelphia | Pandemic PerspectivesJamming with James: Vocalese in Jazz | Smithsonian CaresWhat's in an Identity? Denea Joseph on the Practice of Intersectional Organizing | Tell Me What Democracy Looks LikeCivic Action | Young People Shake Up Elections (History Proves It)Watch a short trailer previewing the Harold M. Anderson Black Wall Street Film Collection, recently published on the museum's YouTube channel.Blog PostsVisit the museum's blog to discover many more stories rooted in African American history.Black Life in Two Pandemics: Histories of ViolenceChef Lena Richard: Culinary Icon and ActivistJohn Lewis and Good TroubleTwo objects bring the history of African American firefighting to lightThe Black Life in Two Pandemics: Histories of Violence blog series examines the long history of racial violence in the Midwest and its connections to the current public health crisis and structural racism today.Educational ResourcesEducation | Becoming US: Teacher resources for a more accurate and inclusive migration and immigration narrativeSocial Studies Online: Black History Month | Learning LabResources on Martin Luther King Jr. | Learning LabAbolition | National Youth SummitFreedom Rides | National Youth SummitFreedom Summer | National Youth Summit Teen Resistance to Systemic Racism | National Youth SummitThe 2020 National Youth Summit centered on the experiences of Claudette Colvin—a 15-year-old Black student in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. Colvin refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus and testified in the legal case that brought an end to segregated busing in Montgomery.HistoryTimeThe HistoryTime series encourages elementary school students to practice thinking routines by carefully observing museum objects and artifacts. Each video has an accompanying lesson plan with activities for students to do in class or at homeDominique Dawes and Amy Purdy | HistoryTimeGo-Go Music | HistoryTime Leah Chase and Julia Child | HistoryTimeMary McLeod Bethune | HistoryTimeMinnijean Brown’s Graduation Dress | HistoryTime Watch a HistoryTime video exploring the work of Elizabeth Keckly. Archival CollectionsThe National Museum of American History’s Archives Center collects, preserves, and provides access to numerous archival collections related to African American history. Some highlights include:Bernice Johnson Reagon Collection of African American Sacred MusicDuke Ellington CollectionMoses Moon Civil Rights Movement Audio Collection Program in African American Culture CollectionScurlock Studio RecordsSusie Paige Afro-American Greeting Card CollectionThe Archives Center recently completed work as part of a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources to establish the D.C. Africana Archives Project. The grant aimed to document African American and African culture, history, and politics in Washington, D.C., through photographs and documents held by people and organizations throughout the city.YWCA camp for girls, Highland Beach, Maryland. Scurlock Studio Records, Subseries 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives, Archives Center (NMAH-AC0618ns0179056pg)Other Smithsonian ResourcesAfrican American History Curatorial Collective | National Museum of American HistoryAfrican American History Program | National Museum of American HistorySearchable Museum | National Museum of African American History and CultureAnacostia Community MuseumNational Museum of African American History and CultureOur Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past