Black History Month is a time to celebrate achievements by African Americans. It is also a time to reflect and to recognize the central role of Blacks in U.S. history. Today, ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, many educators will begin to dig out the same stories and same crafts they’ve used year after year. BO-RING and, if I can be super critical for a moment, these Black History Month resources are often so whitewashed they barely tell a half-truth.
Black history IS American history. We should be highlighting and teaching about Black Americans year-round, not just the shortest month of the year. After the reckoning that was 2020, I beg you: dig deeper than Martin (and Malcolm) and Rosa (and Harriet). Here’s a short list of other African Americans to talk about.. with resources! FULL DISCLOSURE: affiliate links are being used within this post.
Beyond Martin: Influential Black Men
- The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate – John Roy Lynch spent most of his childhood as an enslaved person in Mississippi, but all of that changed with the Emancipation Proclamation.
- A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by Aliki – Discover how George Washington Carver went from enslaved to an innovator of agricultural science in this luminously illustrated picture book. I even have comprehension questions to go with it, available for purchase in my TpT store!
- Barack Obama by Catherine Nichols– A illustrated biography discussing the childhood, career, family, and election of Barack Obama, forty-fourth president of the United States.
- Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson by Charles R Smith – A powerful telling of the first African-American heavyweight champion. You can find a narrated version read by Dion Graham on Epic!
Beyond Rosa: Influential Black Women
- Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome – A lush and lyrical biography of Harriet Tubman, written in verse and illustrated by an award-winning artist. Now I know I said to go beyond our tried-and-true, feel-good Black Americans BUT this book is beautifully written and illustrated AND goes beyond the typical “Underground Railroad” narrative, detailing everything Harriet Tubman accomplished in her years.
- Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Felicia Marshall – Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn’t see any artists who looked like her. Through sacrifice and hardships, she went on to become an educated artist, painting many African American portraits.
- Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist by Philip Dray, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn – Ida Wells defied convention when she used her position as a journalist to speak up and out about injustice. The story documents her life from birth to death and beyond with an included timeline.
- Loretta Lynch: First African American Woman Attorney General by Eric Braun – On April 27, 2015, a packed Senate gallery watched as Loretta Lynch became the first African American woman to be named US attorney general. This informative book detailing Lynch’s life story is text-heavy and best suited for fluent readers. Real photographs are scattered through the eight chapters.
Additional Readings
I absolutely love author-illustrator Vashti Harrison and her Little, Brown Books for Young Readers collection. Each book covers multiple African American influencers and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful! So many great reads as Black History Month resources, including but not limited to:
- Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History
- Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
- Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World
The following books also feature multiple African American leaders in their area of expertise. All can be found and shared digitally on Epic! books (free for educators and their students):
- African American Explorers & Adventurers by Joanne Randolph – This inspiring book celebrates the unsung accomplishments of African American whalers, explorers, mountaineers, and other adventurers.
- African American Musicians & Entertainers by Joanne Randolph – African American musical geniuses and innovators created soul-stirring art that contributed to progress in civil rights.
- Young Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present by Jamia Wilson and illustrated by Andrea Pippins – Meet 52 icons of color from the past and present in this celebration of inspirational achievement.
ACTIONABLE STEP: Choose a new African American leader to discuss this year with your children! Comment below who you’ll be learning about and what resource you’ll use.
