As a career long history educator, I love a good history month. It allows for a focused unit of study with a clear purpose. The hallway bulletin boards are changed to reflect the month and students get to learn just by walking from class to class.
The origin story of Black History Month begins with a man named Carter G. Woodson, who, in 1926, declared the second week of February as “Negro History Week” (Association for the Study of African American Life and History, n.d.). Mr. Woodson chose the second week of February because Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass both were born in that week (Association for the Study of African American Life and History, n.d.). The goal was for schools to celebrate the vast accomplishments and the individuals who were part of those achievements within the African American community.
The 1926 start date is also significant as the Harlem Renaissance, Negro League baseball, and the rise of Black intellectualism and artistic expression were at a peak showcasing the immense cultural, social, and economic contributions of Black Americans despite segregation and systemic racism (Association for the Study of African American Life and History, n.d.). Luckily for me, I happen to live in a city where the African American population was a significant part of this movement so Black History Month also lends itself to local history. In my time in the history classroom, I had names, events, and images that were just down the street from where my students lived.
Many of my students attended James Weldon Johnson Middle School named after the composer of Lift Every Voice and Sing (James Weldon Johnson, n.d.). The school’s baseball team practiced at JP Smalls Park, which shares a history with the Negro League and is named after a career educator and local baseball coach (City of Jacksonville, n.d.). And A. Phillip Randolph Career Academies, named after the organizer of the first African American labor union called The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters as well as working on the 1963 March on Washington, was so close to the school that we shared a bus (Library of Congress, n.d.).
In addition, Zora Neale Hurston spent time here at the Florida Baptist Academy, which is now Edward Waters University (Clark, 2019). She also is a significant part of the preservation of African American life in Florida as she worked to preserve oral histories throughout the 1930s (Visit St. Augustine, n.d.). Unfortunately, despite Jacksonville being her main home, she spoke of encountering her first deeply rooted and clear understanding of racism during her time in the city (Clark, 2019).
While my hometown has a rich and varied connection to this cultural renaissance within the African American populations, it also holds a dark history, most notably as the location of Ax Handle Saturday where a peaceful protest of African Americans was met with planned violence on August 27, 1960 (City of Jacksonville, 2023). Mayor Donna Degan recognized the 63rd Anniversary of the event through a Proclamation that encourages the citizens of Jacksonville to recognize and learn about the event in order to prevent repeating history (City of Jacksonville, 2023).
Ax Handle Saturday is not an isolated event and as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum in the 1960s, so did the radicalized reactions, which ultimately led to many large scale instances of violence. Eventually, the events and individuals related to the Civil Rights Movements would be vast enough to justify the expansion of Mr. Woodson’s “Negro History Week” into a full Black History Month. This occasion was marked by President Gerald Ford’s recognition of the month in 1976, during US Bicentennial celebrations.
So what can you do at home with your own children to commemorate Black History Month?
First, I would suggest looking around where you live, especially in major urban centers. If you are close to DC, it is well worth the trip to check out the African American History Museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution. I was lucky enough to be visiting on Juneteenth in 2024 and it was lifechanging to see the items on display. PBS released a new documentary on The Great Migration that is free to watch on-line at The Great Migration.
For the younger crowds, check out The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander that is appropriate for preschool- 3rd grade. For 3-6 year olds I suggest Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed. For ages 4-9, Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison are great for studies of influential individuals.
For middle grades, The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barlay Moore is a must read. Hidden Figures Young Readers Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly will segway to watching the film and a discussion of quality standards in the workplace and educational spaces. For high school students, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin also addressed the concept of separate racial spaces created by Jim Crow Laws in the 1950s.
For classroom educators, grab a copy of Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture is a new release by Amber O’Neal Johnston that is a curated resource text about the cultural development of African Americas with questions, activities, and book lists that can lead to interactive and informative lessons for your students.
However you choose to mark this month with the children around you, please make sure you acknowledge that knowledge leads to understanding which ultimately produces acceptance.
The origin story of Black History Month begins with a man named Carter G. Woodson, who, in 1926, declared the second week of February as “Negro History Week” (Association for the Study of African American Life and History, n.d.). Mr. Woodson chose the second week of February because Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass both were born in that week (Association for the Study of African American Life and History, n.d.). The goal was for schools to celebrate the vast accomplishments and the individuals who were part of those achievements within the African American community.
The 1926 start date is also significant as the Harlem Renaissance, Negro League baseball, and the rise of Black intellectualism and artistic expression were at a peak showcasing the immense cultural, social, and economic contributions of Black Americans despite segregation and systemic racism (Association for the Study of African American Life and History, n.d.). Luckily for me, I happen to live in a city where the African American population was a significant part of this movement so Black History Month also lends itself to local history. In my time in the history classroom, I had names, events, and images that were just down the street from where my students lived.
Many of my students attended James Weldon Johnson Middle School named after the composer of Lift Every Voice and Sing (James Weldon Johnson, n.d.). The school’s baseball team practiced at JP Smalls Park, which shares a history with the Negro League and is named after a career educator and local baseball coach (City of Jacksonville, n.d.). And A. Phillip Randolph Career Academies, named after the organizer of the first African American labor union called The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters as well as working on the 1963 March on Washington, was so close to the school that we shared a bus (Library of Congress, n.d.).
In addition, Zora Neale Hurston spent time here at the Florida Baptist Academy, which is now Edward Waters University (Clark, 2019). She also is a significant part of the preservation of African American life in Florida as she worked to preserve oral histories throughout the 1930s (Visit St. Augustine, n.d.). Unfortunately, despite Jacksonville being her main home, she spoke of encountering her first deeply rooted and clear understanding of racism during her time in the city (Clark, 2019).
While my hometown has a rich and varied connection to this cultural renaissance within the African American populations, it also holds a dark history, most notably as the location of Ax Handle Saturday where a peaceful protest of African Americans was met with planned violence on August 27, 1960 (City of Jacksonville, 2023). Mayor Donna Degan recognized the 63rd Anniversary of the event through a Proclamation that encourages the citizens of Jacksonville to recognize and learn about the event in order to prevent repeating history (City of Jacksonville, 2023).
Ax Handle Saturday is not an isolated event and as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum in the 1960s, so did the radicalized reactions, which ultimately led to many large scale instances of violence. Eventually, the events and individuals related to the Civil Rights Movements would be vast enough to justify the expansion of Mr. Woodson’s “Negro History Week” into a full Black History Month. This occasion was marked by President Gerald Ford’s recognition of the month in 1976, during US Bicentennial celebrations.
So what can you do at home with your own children to commemorate Black History Month?
First, I would suggest looking around where you live, especially in major urban centers. If you are close to DC, it is well worth the trip to check out the African American History Museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution. I was lucky enough to be visiting on Juneteenth in 2024 and it was lifechanging to see the items on display. PBS released a new documentary on The Great Migration that is free to watch on-line at The Great Migration.
For the younger crowds, check out The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander that is appropriate for preschool- 3rd grade. For 3-6 year olds I suggest Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed. For ages 4-9, Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison are great for studies of influential individuals.
For middle grades, The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barlay Moore is a must read. Hidden Figures Young Readers Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly will segway to watching the film and a discussion of quality standards in the workplace and educational spaces. For high school students, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin also addressed the concept of separate racial spaces created by Jim Crow Laws in the 1950s.
For classroom educators, grab a copy of Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture is a new release by Amber O’Neal Johnston that is a curated resource text about the cultural development of African Americas with questions, activities, and book lists that can lead to interactive and informative lessons for your students.
However you choose to mark this month with the children around you, please make sure you acknowledge that knowledge leads to understanding which ultimately produces acceptance.
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