January 28, 2020

Here’s How We’re Celebrating Black History Month

Black History Month begins next week. And as we look ahead, we’re asking ourselves: What stories about Black history are students taking away from their schools and classrooms? Over the next four weeks, TT will share some of our favorite resources focusing on aspects of Black history and culture. Instead of centering your Black History Month teaching around trauma and struggle, we hope you’ll help your students recognize the many ways in which Black people have contributed to, inspired and created American culture while also leading the way in advocating for justice. You can start this week by downloading and displaying this poster to celebrate author Toni Morrison.

Black History Month: Teaching Beyond Slavery // Coshandra Dillard 

Five Ways to Avoid Whitewashing the Civil Rights Movement // Coshandra Dillard 

Beyond the Little Rock Nine // Coshandra Dillard 
Where Do You Start When Teaching Black History?
Black History Month is an excellent time to remind young people of their power to be change agents. But where do you begin? This English teacher encourages fellow teachers to re-approach their Black history instruction to focus on African Americans’ contributions to the United States, beginning with the Harlem Renaissance. 

Webinar: Latinx History Is Black History

In this webinar, we share stories and strategies for teaching Afro-Latinx history and doing it justice. You’ll get clarity on the confusion between race and ethnicity as we provide a historical primer on Afro-Latinx identities and review resources for teaching Elizabeth Acevedo’s poem “Afro-Latina,” which beautifully illustrates this intersectional identity. Watch on demand anytime here. 

Get Ready for Black Lives Matter Week of Action

Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action is set for February 3-7. The goal is to challenge structural and systemic racism while centering the lives of Black students inside and outside of the classroom. To join this effort, read about the history of the Black Lives Matter at School movement and begin planning with these six steps.

Student Text: Elizabeth Acevedo’s “Hair”

National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo is an Afro-Dominican writer and performer and New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X. In this video, watch her performance of “Hair,” a powerful poem about naturally coily hair, its history and its power. Share it with students and use our text-dependent questions to start a critical conversation in your classroom.  

Check Out What We’re Reading

“[A]bolitionists and slavers alike read the papers anxiously for news of slave revolts, taking stock of where the rebels came from, how adroitly they planned their attacks, how quickly revolts were suppressed, and how soon they broke out again. In a new book, the historian Vincent Brown argues that these rebellions did more to end the slave trade than any actions taken by white abolitionists.” — The New Yorker

“I can just walk in a room and I’m already being perceived as lower. I feel like I don’t belong in places at certain times.” — PBS

“It’s wrong, students said, that the black history taught in schools is centered around oppression, with minimal attention paid to the contributions and strength of African Americans.” — Chalkbeat
Have a comment, question or idea for Teaching Tolerance? Drop us a line at [email protected].
Help us avoid the spam filter! Add [email protected] to your address book.
            
Copyright © 2020 Teaching Tolerance, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334-956-8200 | tolerance.org

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.