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Black History Month

February is Black History Month and an ideal time to learn about and recognize the contributions and history of African Americans. We've gathered some great resources you can share with students in February or any day.

Click below for:

Writers and illustrators

"We Real Cool" (Poets.org)
The Pulitzer Prize winning-poet Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about African American life in the city. At this web site you can listen as she reads her famous poem "We Real Cool."
African American Women Writers of the 19th Century (The Schomburg Center)
This web site contains a digital collection of some 52 published works by 19th-century black women writers.
Paul Laurence Dunbar (University of Dayton)
Born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio, Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. Visit this web site to hear over 40 of his poems read aloud by the foremost interpreter of his works.
Audio and video interviews (Reading Rockets)
Watch Reading Rockets' fascinating interviews with celebrated African American children's book authors and illustrators, including Patricia and Frederick McKissack, Christopher Myers, Walter Dean Myers, and Jerry Pinkney.

Recommended children's books

Favorite Books for Black History Month (Reading Rockets)
The Things We Share: Themes for Black History Month (Reading Rockets)
Standing Tall (Reading Rockets)
The Coretta Scott King Award (American Library Association)

Literacy activities

The National African American Read-In (NCTE)
The National Council of Teachers of English asks schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations, and interested citizens to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating Read-Ins in their communities.
Teaching with Documents: Documents Related to Brown v. Board of Education (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)
This resource gives a brief history of the landmark Supreme Court decision, and suggests classroom activities using printouts of the actual documents related to the case.

Television programs

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (PBS)
Jack Johnson – the first African-American Heavyweight Champion of the World, whose dominance over his white opponents spurred furious debates and race riots in the early 20th century – enters the ring once again in this PBS documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns. The web site includes a teacher's guide.
Slavery and the Making of America (PBS)
The first slaves were bought in 1619, the last freed in 1865. In the intervening 250 years, slaves labored to make America what it is today. This television series was produced by WNET. The web site includes a K-12 Learning section.
Citizen King (PBS)
This program, part of the "American Experience" series on PBS, pushes past the myths that have obscured Martin Luther King's story to reclaim the history of a people's leader. Using the personal recollections, diaries, letters, and eyewitness accounts of friends, family, journalists, law enforcement officers and historians, this film brings fresh insights to King's difficult journey, his charismatic – if at times flawed – leadership, and his truly remarkable impact. The web site includes a teacher's guide.

People and events

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project (Stanford University)
A fascinating collection of multimedia information about Martin Luther King, Jr., with a special section for teachers that includes lesson plans, an interactive timeline, and an extensive civil rights encyclopedia.
Rosa Parks (The Academy of Acheivement)
This web site includes video and audio clips of the civil rights pioneer.
The Underground Railroad (National Geographic)
This stunning web site asks students to pretend they are escaping along the Underground Railroad and then has them make choices along the way. The site features short text, photos, and audio, as well as a section for teachers.
What's Your Life's Blueprint? (The King Center)
At this web site, you'll find audio clips and transcripts from many of Martin Luther King Jr.'s stirring speeches, including "What's Your Life's Blueprint?," which is meant especially for students. The site also has a Pledge of Nonviolence that students can print out and sign.
Meet Amazing Americans (Library of Congress)
A great introduction to famous Americans, this web site offers energetically written stories about Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, and Duke Ellington among others.
Cathay Williams, Female Buffalo Soldier
She was born a slave, but once the Civil War ended Cathay Williams didn't want to be dependent on either family or friends. So in 1866, she joined the U.S. Army disguised as a man and became the only known female Buffalo Soldier.

Guides to black history

African American World (PBS)
This extensive site features an interview with Ruby Bridges Hall, who describes what it was like, as a six year old, to become the first African American child to desegregate an elementary school. The site also offers "Visual Voices," which includes striking photos of Martin Luther King Jr. being arrested, the Tuskegee Airmen, and others.
Black History Month (InfoPlease)
In addition to historical information, this site offers links to contemporary issues as well as quizzes and crossword puzzles that can be used in the classroom.
Guide to Black History (Encyclopedia Brittanica)
This site includes an extensive timeline, audio and video clips, and biographies.
The African American Journey (World Book)
The folks who bring you the World Book Encyclopedia have put together this comprehensive look at the history of African Americans.
Celebrate Black History Month (The History Channel)
This multimedia site includes a brief overview of the civil rights struggle, biographies of key players, and video clips of Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, and other famous Americans.

"As an ESL educator in Puerto Rico, I confront huge challenges in the classroom year after year. The Reading Rockets articles have been very useful and have influenced my teaching practices."
~ Lydia C.

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