Mountain Lake PBS is proud to celebrate Black History this February and all year round!
February is Black History Month, a time to honor the important role African Americans play in the story of our country. Originating as a week-long celebration in 1926, organized by historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans of the time, Black History Month was nationally recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976.
Today we continue this tradition with celebrations, lectures, performances, documentaries, and more to expand our understanding of the pivotal role in shaping U.S. history and culture played by Americans of African descent. Continue below for resources to celebrate and learn about Black culture, history, and trailblazing leaders, while helping your family engage in important conversations.
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Learn About Black History & Culture
Teaching Your Child About Black History
Grades PreK-3
By kindergarten, most children have heard of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and learned that he was an advocate for peace and equality. Here are ways to take Black History a step further this month and year-round.
Children’s Books to Celebrate Black History Month
Grades PreK-6
February is Black History Month, a time for remembrance and celebration of the accomplishments of Black pioneers and trailblazers. Story time is one of many ways to teach young children about Black history. Check out these 12 books to celebrate Black history this month and those to follow.
Africatown | Yellowhammer History Hunt
Grades 3-5
Bring history to life with the story of Alabama’s Africatown, a community founded by survivors of the last slave ship, the Clotilda. In Africatown, the descendants of the survivors have preserved a rich, cultural heritage by celebrating their traditions with a spirit of unity and determination, even while facing contemporary challenges.
National Museum of African American History and Culture | Craft in America: Democracy
Grades 6-12
In this video from Craft in America, we meet curator Joanne Hyppolite, Ph.D., of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, who talks about a patchwork-lettered quilt, one of many museum objects that help to educate citizens about the history of African Americans and the past and present racism in the United States. Support materials include a breakdown of essential questions, key concepts, an overview of content, suggested activities, related vocabulary, discussion questions and worksheets for viewing the film, studio investigations, and reflection about and displaying completed artworks.
Great Migrations: A People on the Move collection
Grades 6-12
Great Migrations: A People on the Move, the latest history series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., explores the transformative impact of Black migration on American culture and society. From the waves of Black Americans to the North—and back South—over the last century to the growing number of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean today, the film shows how movement is a defining feature of the Black experience. Using this collection, explore classroom-ready lessons that include video segments from the series, discussion questions, vocabulary, and student-led activities.
Black Leaders & Visionaries
Grandmaster Flash | Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum
Grades K-2
Learn about Grandmaster Flash, one of the founding fathers of early hip-hop during the 1970s in the Bronx, New York, with these video clips and printable activities. Grandmaster Flash used home-made technology to turn the record player into a musical instrument, pushing the boundaries of his art form and forever changing music history.
Harriet Tubman | Abolition Activist Video
Grades 3-8
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to become a so-called “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, leading or assisting more than 300 enslaved people to freedom, despite great personal risk. Learn about Tubman’s courage in the face of enormous risks with this biographical video. Then, in the associated lesson plan, examine a photograph of Tubman and read a letter written to her by Frederick Douglass. The lesson culminates with students comparing Harriet Tubman to modern-day women and girls who have similarly confronted huge risks to help others.
The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers | Mae Jemison
Grades 6-12
Meet astronaut Mae Jemison in this video profile from NOVA’s “The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers.” As a child growing up in Chicago, Mae dreamed of traveling to outer space. Years later, while in medical school, she decided to follow that dream and applied to become a NASA astronaut. Mae eventually became the first African American woman to go into space.
Portrait of Ailey collection
Grades 9-12
Explore American choreographer Alvin Ailey’s creative life from his earliest childhood influences to his professional collaborations with composers, designers, and generations of dancers using this collection of videos from the documentary film, Portrait of Ailey. Accompanying curricular materials ignite students’ curiosity about, and interest in, Ailey’s work and his ground-breaking legacy.