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African-American History Month

AAHM Resources:

African-American History Month was the brainchild of Carter G. Woodson, and first began as a celebration of Negro History Week in February of 1926. The commemoration became more and more popular, and was eventually extended to encompass the entire month of February in 1976 becoming known as African-American History Month. All Americans are encouraged to participate in recognizing and celebrating the achievements and accomplishments of African-Americans, not just in February, but all year long.

Photo courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica

African-American History Month Resources

The U.S. government's African-American History Month Homepage is loaded with information, event links, and more.
Browse the rich online resources of the new National Museum of African American History & Culture located on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Learn about significant moments in African American history, culture, and community — as well as the people who helped shape this history.
Interested in African-American History? Visit the History Channel's Black History page.
Want to know more about the most notable African-Americans? Read their biographies on Biography.com!

Books and Authors

Watch AdLit.org's exclusive video interviews with award-winning African-American authors and illustrators, including Jacqueline Woodson, Kwame Alexander, Rita Williams-Garcia, Christopher Paul Curtis, Kadir Nelson, and Patricia and Fredrick McKissack.
For 40 years, the Coretta Scott King Awards have recognized outstanding books by African American writers and illustrators. Read more about the books that have received this award.
Encourage your school to participate in the NCTE's nationwide African-American Read-In!
Find graphic novels for African-American History Month. These texts cover a broad range of reading levels and topics. (Library Journal)

African-American History Month Resources for Teachers

Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom, with these African American History Month resources from the Library of Congress and other federal organizations.
You can also visit the National Endowment for the Humanities site for lesson plans across all content areas.
PBS NewsHour offers Black History Month lesson plans and videos covering key historical moments and themes (for example, a lesson plan about the March on Washington) for students in grades 7-12.
Smithsonian Education also provides African-American History Teaching Resources.
Calling all social studies teachers! The National Park Service and The National Register of Historic Places share this list of links to historic properties, lesson plans, and more.
Celebrate Black History Month with the New York Times Learning Network, providing open access to historic front pages, news stories, lesson plans, and much more.
Black History Past and Present from the Middle Web offers an updated roundup of online resources related to important moments in the history of African Americans; teaching materials, literacy resources, African Americans in the sciences, and more.
Best Websites to Teach and Learn About African-American History (Education Week) is a rich collection of online sources for teachers from Larry Ferlazzo.

Writing Resources

Griot Links

A griot is term that refers to a West African storyteller. They use oral tradition to pass down stories, songs, and history to the next generation.

Use oral tradition in your classroom! The StoryCorps Griot Project has many examples of current African-Americans telling their stories.
Toni Morrison, the first African-American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, weaves a griot-themed story into her acceptance speech.

Poetry Links

12 Poems to Read for Black History Month from the Academy of American Poets. You'll hear Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks read her famous poem "We Real Cool" — one of the many poems she wrote about African American life in the city.
Studying Langston Hughes? Use this lesson plan from NCTE's ReadWriteThink website.
From Scholastic, learn about teaching poetry through rap.

Educational Video

Watch short videos on a range of historical topics — the origins of slavery, the Niagara Movement, Abolition, the Harlem Renaissance, School Intergration, and Freedom Marches. (The History Channel).
Watch biographical videos on African American activists, inventers, writers, perfomers, athletes, and political leaders, including George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass, Duke Ellington, Dorothy Dandridge, and President Barack Obama. (The Biography Channel)
PBS offers a range of special programming in February to celebrate programs African-Americans. Check your local listings for showtimes and the PBS website to watch free on-demand video anytime. Learn about slave spirituals, the story of the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins, pioneering shock jock Petey Green, and more.