February is Black History Month in the United States. I thought a “The Best…” list focusing on African-American history would be timely and helpful.
You might also be interested in:
New & Revised: The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
USEFUL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF BRINGING ENSLAVED AFRICANS TO AMERICA
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The Best Resources To Remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s Death (& Life)
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The Best Resources For Learning About The “Freedom Riders”
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A Collection Of Useful Posts, Articles & Videos On Race & Racism – Help Me Find More
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Useful Resources For Educators On #AltonSterling , #PhilandoCastile & Dallas Shootings
The Best Resources For Lessons On Trayvon Martin
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The Best Resources For Learning & Teaching About Malcolm X
And MANY more related lists can be found here.
As usual, I’ve only included sites that I feel are accessible to English Language Learners.
Here are my picks for The Best Websites To Teach & Learn About African-American History (not in any order of preference):
* The History Channel’s Black History site has many videos, quizzes, images, and information.
* The Biography Channel Black History site has a number of online videos and other features.
* Kulture Kidz has simple and accessible materials on Black History.
* The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a series of articles written in simple English about accomplished African-Americans in history.
* InfoPlease has a simple African-American History timeline, too.
* I’ve posted several times in the past about how much I like Brainpop for my English Language Learner students, and that it’s one of the very, very few web applications out there that I think is worth paying for. Brainpop has a Black History Month collection that’s pretty impressive. Again, you have to subscribe in order to view them, but you can sign-up for a free trial offer. Plus, two of the movies in this particular collection are free for viewing without signing-up.
* EL Civics, which is on many of my “The Best…” lists, also has a series of resources on Black History Month.
* Journalist Cynthia Tucker has written an article saying Black History Month should be eliminated. It isn’t accessible to English Language Learners, but a teacher could frame the question, and its background, in a comprehensible and engaging way.
* Teachnology has a number of accessible worksheets related to African American history that can be printed-out.
* The Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History is a good guide from Teaching Tolerance.
* The New York Times has an extensive collection of lesson plans titled Celebrate Black History Month.
* The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has a feature on African American History Month where they “provide an economic snapshot of African Americans in the United States today.”
It’s quite accessible, and even provides audio support for the text.
An article titled The End of Black History Month? Why I’m not ready to ditch it—yet.
PBS showed a film on the Freedom Riders, civil rights activists who challenged segregation in the South. The website for the film has an interactive timeline and several video excerpts.
Teaching The Civil Rights Movement is from The New York Times Learning Network.
The Politics of Children’s Literature: What’s Wrong with the Rosa Parks Myth is from The Zinn Education Project.
America’s ‘Slave Narratives’ should shock us is from CNN.
Here’s how StoryCorps describes their new animated video:
When Theresa Burroughs came of voting age, she was ready to cast her ballot—but she had a long fight ahead of her. During the Jim Crow era, the board of registrars at Alabama’s Hale County Courthouse prevented African Americans from registering to vote. Undeterred, Theresa remembers venturing to the courthouse on the first and third Monday of each month, in pursuit of her right to vote.
Text to Text | ‘Why Reconstruction Matters’ and ‘Black Reconstruction in America’ is from The New York Times Learning Network.
The Black History Month Debate is Back is from NBC News.
Unpublished Black History is from The New York Times.
Civil Rights: Then and Now is from PBS.
The history behind Black History Month is from Vox.
The history of African-American social dance is a new lesson and video from TED-Ed:
Wow – What An Impressive Site On The Great Migration
Black History and Culture is a very impressive site from the Google Cultural Institute.
Celebrating Black History With The New York Times is from The New York Times Learning Network.
Analysis: Do We Still Need Black History Month? is from NBC News.
Memo to the White House on the Contributions of Frederick Douglass is from The Atlantic.
TED-Ed has published this video and lesson:
Google Supports Development Of New “Lynching In America” Interactive
Students & Teachers Can Transcribe Ads From Former Slaves Looking For Their Families
NY Times Video Interviewing Ruby Bridges’ Teacher
Here is one available for free in Spanish, English, and Arabic https://t.co/fU7R0H3MUk – @repjohnlewis read as a young man pic.twitter.com/tCdWxv4lxo
— Tim Smyth NOT@SDCC😔 (@historycomics) July 18, 2017
Black History Month Resources is from The Boston Teachers Union.
Teaching Tolerance published an impressive set of materials titled A Framework for Teaching American Slavery.
African American History Month Resources is from The Utah Education Network.
28 Days, 28 Films for Black History Month is from The New York Times.
Black History Month is from National Geographic.
Black Monuments is from Vice.
National History Day: African American Civil Rights Movement is from The Smithsonian.
27 black women activists everyone should know is from For Harriet.
The Staying Power of Black History Month is from The American Prospect.
Celebrating Black history in our lives today is from Google.
“Fixing” Black History Month is from Ed Week.
This is a good YouTube playlist from RetroReport for Black History Month.
Black History Month Re-imagined is from Discovery Education.
60 Minutes Airs Segment On Memorial To African-Americans Who Were Lynched
More than 4,000 black men, women, and children died at the hands of white mobs between 1877 and 1950. Can you name any of them? This memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, is trying to change that. https://t.co/JYsGQjblfe pic.twitter.com/MYns3EFinI
— CNN (@CNN) April 10, 2018
Segregation In America is a very impressive interactive website documenting – in multimedia – the history of…segregation in the United States. It was just unveiled by the Equal Justice Initiative, who last year released an equally impressive site on Lynching In America (see Google Supports Development Of New “Lynching In America” Interactive).
ARTIFACTS OF INJUSTICE: AN AMERICAN HISTORY COLLECTION is from The Seattle Times.
Emmett Till: Finding the truth behind decades of lies is from USA Today.
A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Storieshttps://t.co/UAvgt9Otrw pic.twitter.com/FqvjfxTQN9
— Andrew J. Padilla (@apadillafilm6) December 18, 2018
Steve King Shows Why We Need Black History Month is from Teaching Tolerance.
Five Things Not to Do During Black History Month is by Zaretta Hammond.
TED-Ed’s latest video and lesson is on Ida B. Wells, the famed journalist who was African-American.
Overlooked Obituaries for Black History Month is from The NY Times.
3 ways to improve education about slavery in the US is from The Conversation.
A look at slavery’s expansion across the U.S. from 1790 to 1860 @SmithsonianMag @lincolnmullen #BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/LvEp5tn5Or pic.twitter.com/prTvwPLpkq
— Monica Anderson (@MonicaRAnders) February 5, 2019
Lessons from — and for — Black History Month is from Usable Knowledge.
Google Earth has created a great tour, The Journey Of Us, for Black History Month.
NEW TED-ED VIDEO & LESSON IS ON BAYARD RUSTIN
Seven Black Inventors Whose Patents Helped Shape American Life is from The NY Times.
Here’s how “Voices Of The Civil Rights Movement” describes itself:
Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, a multimedia collaboration of Comcast NBCUniversal and the Equal Justice Initiative, honors the legacy and impact of the men and women who championed racial equality in the United States….Today, Voices of the Civil Rights Movement presents more than 16 hours of gripping firsthand accounts, historical moments and stories submitted by the public.
The site also invites the public to share their stories:
Share Your Story! with Voices of the Civil Rights Movement. Your voice matters. Help us continue the dialogue and capture more stories from this historic era. Grab your smartphone and share a memory from the movement, or reflect on how its legacy impacts you. Feel free to contribute your personal thoughts, or interview a loved one.
FREE ONLINE GRAPHIC NOVEL: THE MASSACRE OF TULSA’S “BLACK WALL STREET”
Hundreds March In Reenactment Of A Historic, But Long Forgotten Slave Rebellion is from NPR.
An Artist’s March to Freedom is a NY Times article about the same event.
It’s Time We Celebrate Ella Baker Day is from The Nation.
Google just published this intriguing video. You can learn about the people they highlight at an accompanying website:
How Black Lives Matter Is Changing What Students Learn During Black History Month is from TIME.
Black History Month: Teaching the Complete History is from Teaching Tolerance.
Writing About Slavery? Teaching About Slavery? is from P. Gabrielle Foreman. I’m also adding it to USEFUL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF BRINGING ENSLAVED AFRICANS TO AMERICA. Thanks to Dr. Kim Parker for the tip.
The Little-Known Southern Underground Railroad Into Mexico Is an Important Piece of Black History is from REMEZCLA.
Had to drop this timeless gem on the TL. Happy BHM 🤝 pic.twitter.com/lOUQ2euin7
— sunflower cierra 💕 (@cierraashh) February 1, 2020
Celebrate literacy during #BlackHistoryMonth by joining @ncte for the African American Read-In! Their toolkit has everything your school community needs to participate, from book lists to lesson plans: https://t.co/LG29iVsvQM #BHM #EduColor #engchat pic.twitter.com/604tggN9PC
— Teacher2Teacher (@teacher2teacher) February 1, 2020
This Black History Month, we reflect on the achievements and contributions of African American individuals and their fundamental role in U.S. history. Listen to the stories of some of these trailblazers: https://t.co/yGQaS3md9y
— StoryCorps (@StoryCorps) February 1, 2020
Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways is from Edutopia.
Black History Month: Teaching the Complete History is from Teaching Tolerance.
Navigating The Green Book is an interactive from The New York Public Library.
Curate Your Legacy is from The National Museum of African American History and Culture. It would be a great project to have African American students document their family’s history.
We Return Fighting: The African American Experience in World War I is from from The National Museum of African American History and Culture.
AVA DUVERNAY UNVEILS SITE WHICH WILL DEVELOP LESSONS TO ACCOMPANY HER FILMS
Watch Eyes On The Prize AND get a study guide from Facing History.
Black History In Two Minutes to
Sports: Leveling the Playing Field is from the Smithsonian.
Black History Is About More Than Oppression is from Education Week.
Here are a ton of resources from Facing History.
Black History Month is from Oprah Magazine.
Black History Month Lessons & Resources is from The NEA.
The Library of Congress has a ton of teacher and student resources.
Black History Month Teaching Resources is from Scholastic.
NEW SITE SHARES THE STORIES OF THOUSANDS WHO WERE ENSLAVED
Black History Month: Lesson Plans and Resources for the Classroom is from iCivics.
In our new segment, “How Did We Get Here,” we demand a white history month! pic.twitter.com/YNX9QDdphw
— amber ruffin (@ambermruffin) February 6, 2021
Massacres in the United States is an interactive map highlighting massacres in U.S. History, particularly those of African-Americans and Native Americans.
Check out the “Eyes on the Prize Interviews“:
The Eyes on the Prize I Interviews Collection consists of 127 raw interviews conducted with participants in the American Civil Rights movement, covering the years from the mid-1950s through to 1965.
And this is why attempting to excuse the behavior of enslavers by saying “They were just men (and women) of their time” is utter nonsense designed to make you comfortable. Because others of their time did exactly what they didn’t have the morals to do. https://t.co/jgAYauHCai
— Hasan Kwame Jeffries (@ProfJeffries) September 5, 2021
‘Spirit of resistance’: Marking 500 years since the first slave revolt in the Americas is from NBC News.
Black History Month founder showed how schools should teach about race https://t.co/VU4wOMS4LP
— Larry Ferlazzo (@Larryferlazzo) February 2, 2022
“‘I had two calls in the last week that they’re having a Black History Month program and they consider having a Black history program CRT,’ Mackey said. ‘Having a Black history program is not CRT.’” https://t.co/XSXxDRd1sp
— adam harris (@AdamHSays) February 3, 2022
This is the 2nd year I guest edited a collection of BHM articles for @EdWeekOpinion. See link and comments below. https://t.co/8HcWRtqb9g
— LaGarrett King (@DrLaGarrettKing) February 2, 2022
Through the new Black Teacher Archives Project, #HGSE‘s @jarvisrgivens and @Princeton‘s @imaniperry want people to know that the story of Black education and Black teachers is complicated — and worth telling. #blackhistorymonth https://t.co/QK8Vdq18uR
— Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) (@hgse) February 1, 2022
Why does Black History Month matter? is from NPR.
Learning With the ‘Black History, Continued’ Series is from The NY Times Learning Network.
Black history “is not a series of heroics or forgotten contributions,” writes @esaumccaulley. “It is a different telling of the American story altogether.” https://t.co/KBa88ZFYiX
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) February 21, 2022
The people who marched and organized during the civil rights movement are now in their 70s and 80s. Historians are rushing to record their stories. https://t.co/zwi2PpJXbO pic.twitter.com/LFZJ4ldz0Q
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 19, 2022
Teachers Tackle Black History Month, Under New Restrictions https://t.co/VtPmN0abfd
— Larry Ferlazzo (@Larryferlazzo) February 12, 2022
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Legacy Project unveiled an impressive website, including lesson plans. SNCC was a key part of the Civil Rights Movement.
Black Innovators is from Google’s Art and Culture.
Diversify your #BlackHistoryMonth lessons with our collection of Black immigrant stories.#TeacherThursdayhttps://t.co/0T0rqn5V81@AllyteacherELLs @DRMLARA @Larryferlazzo
— The Immigrant Learning Center (@ilctr) February 2, 2023
Once again, @SonjaCherryPaul speaks the truth. 👇🏼 https://t.co/QcGoGiLtNN
— 📓Tenille Shade✏️☮️ (@tenilleshade) February 1, 2023
Are you ready for #BlackHistoryMonth?
Our teacher’s guide has activities and strategies to get you started! #sschat #nctechat #ushistory
https://t.co/rSa5WIm8gR pic.twitter.com/JqFZ78CMku— EDSITEment (@EDSITEment) January 30, 2023
Encourage your students to discover something new during #BlackHistoryMonth using this customizable research activity in #GoogleSlides. Students can explore the impactful people, places and events that they want to learn more about: https://t.co/YRdwxvfXfD pic.twitter.com/s3dRCa0beE
— Google for Education (@GoogleForEdu) February 9, 2023
Teaching Black History Beyond Bondage—All Year Long is from Edutopia.
If you found this post useful, you might want to look at previous “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.
thanks for your info.
Beaumont Adult School Teacher
Nice link list. Will pass it on to my instructors.
twitter.com/3pmnews
Larry-
Here’s a good quiz that we created for Black History Month – http://timelines.com/quizzes/black_history
Enjoy and share!
Bob Armour
Timelines, Inc.
I love your websites
Loved these websites. Also check http://www.famousafricanamericans.org/
Thank you for putting out this information