February is African-American History Month

February is African American History Month

During the month of February, students across the country give special attention to the history of African-Americans.  

One of the best resources I’ve found over the years is Scholastic’s ‘Culture and Change’ page.  It features short features on several African-Americans who created change.  It highlights those who fought for civil rights, broke the color barrier and made the world better through their inventions.

One of the items I highly recommend is the interactive activity on the underground railroad.  It is a very neat and ‘gamified’ way of learning about this time period in American history.  It will introduce Harriet Tubman and uncover myths as well as allow students to interact with primary documents around the time period.  There is also an interview with prominent African-American musician Wynton Marsalis.  I think these resources are a great way to introduce this topic to young children.

Of course, being a librarian, the best way to talk about a topic (in my opinion) is with a book!  Here are a few that I highly recommend:

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

From the publisher:  “Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first African American child to integrate a New Orleans school with this paperback reissue!

The year is 1960, and six-year-old Ruby Bridges and her family have recently moved from Mississippi to New Orleans in search of a better life. When a judge orders Ruby to attend first grade at William Frantz Elementary, an all-white school, Ruby must face angry mobs of parents who refuse to send their children to school with her. Told with Robert Coles' powerful narrative and dramatically illustrated by George Ford, Ruby's story of courage, faith, and hope is now available in this special 50th anniversary edition with an updated afterword!”

My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris:

From the publisher: "Mother Dear, one day I'm going to turn this world upside down."

Long before he became a world-famous dreamer, Martin Luther King Jr. was a little boy who played jokes and practiced the piano and made friends without considering race. But growing up in the segregated south of the 1930s taught young Martin a bitter lesson -- little white children and little black children were not to play with one another. Martin decided then and there that something had to be done. And so he began the journey that would change the course of American history.

Something to Prove:  The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe Dimaggio by Rob Skead:

From the publisher: “ In 1936, the New York Yankees wanted to test a hot prospect named Joe DiMaggio to see if he was ready for the big leagues. They knew just the ballplayer to call Satchel Paige, the best pitcher anywhere, black or white.

For the game, Paige joined a group of amateur African American players, and they faced off against a team of white major leaguers plus young DiMaggio. The odds were stacked against the less-experienced black team. But Paige's skillful batting and amazing pitching with his "trouble ball" and "bat dodger" kept the game close.

Would the rookie DiMaggio prove himself as major league player? Or would Paige once again prove his greatness and the injustice of segregated baseball?”