Celebrate Black History

The NYCDOE has provided some resources to remind us this month that Black history is American history:

The Morning Bell commemorates Black History Month

Center for Racial Justice in Education, Black History Month Resource Guide for Educators and Families and Black History Month Resources #2
Two collections including dozens of resources organized into categories to support the integration of Black history and experiences in school curricula and at home.

NYCDOE School Library System, Black History Month: Remembering the Past Shaping the Future Collection
A collection of 333 ebooks and 112 audiobooks for young people relating to the Black experience in the US and beyond.  Available to NYCDOE students and teachers by logging into the Sora app with their NYCDOE credentials.

New York Times, Honor and Learn This Black History Month
List of cultural and historical events occurring in February to honor Black History Month with registration links.  

New York Public Library, Black History Month at NYPL
The New York Public Library celebrates Black History Month throughout February with live online events and programs, blog posts, recommended reading, and a wide array of digital resources available to anyone with a library card.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Black Liberation List for Teens and Black Liberation Reading List for Kids
For 95 years, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has preserved, protected, and fostered a greater understanding of the Black experience through its collections, exhibitions, programs, and scholarship. In response to the uprisings across the globe demanding justice for Black lives, the Schomburg Center has created a Black Liberation Reading List. The titles on the list represent books we and the public turn to regularly as activists, students, archivists, and curators, with a particular focus on books by Black authors and those whose papers we steward.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Public Programming 
A listing of the public events hosted by the Schomburg Center for the month of February. 

National Geographic Kids, Black History Month 
A short reading about the history of Black History Month for elementary school readers. 

Focus Question for Black History Month: What is Black History Month and how did it develop? 

Discussion Questions: 

• Who is Carter G. Woodson and why is he important to the history of Black History Month?
• Why did Carter G. Woodson want people in the United States to focus on Black history?
• When was Black History Week expanded into Black History Month?
• What does Black History Month honor?
• What is the role of Black History Month presently?

USA Today, Why Is Black History Month In February? How Do You Celebrate? Everything You Need To Know
Article with a short history of Black History Month and a discussion about how to expand the teaching of Black history beyond the month of February. 
 
Focus Question for Why Is Black History Month In February?:  Why is Black History Month important?
 
DIscussion Questions: 

• What is Black history? What is Black History Month?
• How did Black History Month begin?
• Why is Black History Month in February?
• The article quotes scholar LaGarrett J. King as saying that some, “teach Black history from a white-centered perspective.” What do you think that means? Why is it important to teach Black history from a Black perspective? 
• In the article, LaGarrett J. King offered seven guiding principles for educators to explore when teaching Black history. What do you think that each of these principles brings to the study of Black history? Are there any principles that you would change? Add? 
• What are some ways that Black history should extend beyond the month of February?

 
NYC Parks and Recreation: Black History Month: Black History in Queens
Bailsey Boulevard and 177th Street
February 6, 2021, from 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
 
Celebrate Black History Month in Parks with the Urban Park Rangers. This program highlights the significance of Queens for notable and impactful Black historical figures throughout history.