Black history is American history. Black people have been integral to the formation, survival, and growth of the United States. More often than not, the contributions of Black Americans have been minimized or erased from folk tales, history books, and media. African Americans have been trailblazers in civil rights, the sciences, the arts, and all other sectors of our society. It is important to show our children how to honor and celebrate Black culture, while also uplifting the full breadth of African American contributions to our daily lives, and begin to help our kids to both understand and work to dismantle racism. Please take some time using the resources we've listed below to share and learn with your children!
Thank you for having courageous conversations!
(requires a subscription)
Free versions:
Video Clip: Henry “Box” Brown Video Clip: Robert Johnson
Audio only version
Read about the origins of Black History Month: https://africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/about/
Visit a museum virtually!
Explore the collections at the National Museum of African American History & Culture
Learn about Boston's African Meeting House and The Abiel Smith School, the first public school for African American Children, at the Museum of African American History
by Helaine Becker,
Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)
by Virginia Hamilton,
Leo Dillon (Illustrator),
Diane Dillon (Illustrator)
by Nancy Amanda Redd,
Nneka Myers (Illustrator)
A playlist of childrens book read alouds from Netflix
Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for?
Listen to this podcast series for the answers to these questions and more.
Click here for a PDF version
Listen to the 1619 podcast
Read about how America has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
Listen to the Oprah Book Club podcast with Isabel Wilkerson