Let PBS LearningMedia help you prepare for Black History Month with an outstanding collection of resources. Begin with a briefing on the origins of this cultural heritage month with About Black History Month, a resource from the U.S. Department of State. Then dive into the history of the African American experience with classroom ready resources from the documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. And challenge students to explore the question of how different cultural groups are acknowledged in American history, media, and culture with video clips, lesson plans and an app from the film, Should Black History Be More Than a Month?.
About Black History Month | Document
With this article from the U.S. Department of State, learn about the origins of the upcoming heritage month, what it was initially called and why February was the chosen month.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross | Videos, Lesson Plans & Interactives
Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. recounts the full trajectory of African-American history in his groundbreaking series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. The series explores the history of African American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed — forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds. Using video clips from The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, this collection of lesson plans addresses a wide range of themes of the African American experience from 1500 to the present.
Should Black History Be: More Than a Month? | Videos, Lesson Plan & App
Should Black History Month be ended? That’s the question explored by filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman as he embarks on his cross-country campaign. Both amusing and thought provoking, More Than a Month examines what the treatment of history tells us about race and power in America. Classrooms can use the guide without watching the entire film, by watching the film clips and discussing the synopsis. “Whose History” provides a one-to-three day lesson plan designed to further students’ understanding of the film and to explore the question of how different cultural groups are acknowledged in American history, media, and culture.
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