Black History Month is a time to celebrate Black Americans in our country’s history. Though many teachers work to do it all year long, this designated time can help you amplify Black voices in the classroom and let students see the world through their eyes, in their own words. 

Focus on sharing the history of Black History Month in your social studies classes and plan lessons that let you:

• Build a unit around Black U.S. history
• Explore Black arts and culture
• Meet influential Black athletes
• Teach students about Black leadership and activism
• Recognize Black contributions to science, education, and business
• Share inspirational quotes from Black leaders

[Build a unit around Black U.S. history](id-unit)

Want Black History Month lesson plans that last all of February? Our Black U.S. History unit has everything you need to cover the topic. Filled with articles, videos, activity suggestions, and other resources you can use to engage students in each lesson on topics like:

• What is Black U.S. History?
• West Africa to North America: Invasion, capture and resistance (14th Century-1775)
• Independence for Whom? The Black Experience in the Revolutionary Era (1775-1820)
• Fighting for Freedom and Humanity: Legacy of the Civil War (1820-1877)
• Facing Backlash and Violence: The Hardening of Jim Crow (1877-1920)
• Forward or Backward? Black Resilience and Perseverance in a Changing World (1920-1950)
• Illusion of Equality: Course and Consequence of the Civil Rights Movement (1950-1970)
• A Job Unfinished Fighting Racism and Oppression in the Modern Era (1970-Present)

Abbreviate your Black U.S. history lesson

Don’t have time to cover a full Black history unit over the month of February? Try an abbreviated version of the unit that focuses on topics like:

• Sustaining Black cultures in Colonial America
• Black stories from Antebellum America
• Black cultural renaissance of the 1920s and ‘30s
• Black trailblazing through the 20th century

Discuss why it’s important to intertwine Black and U.S. history

Black History and U.S. history aren’t two separate disciplines. Yet Black history is often left out of the narrative when discussing important historical events. Students can learn more about why it’s important to bring diverse perspectives into historical narratives by reading articles on topics like:

• High schoolers calling for education reform and to include more Black history and representation in their curriculum.
• Lesser-discussed Black inventors who created everything from agricultural equipment to innovative furniture designs.
• Black artists and museum curators who are working to add more diverse pieces to art galleries around the country.

Make connections between Black current events and Black history 

Black history isn’t just something students can learn about in the past. It’s still ongoing every day! Make past to present connections with modern resources on topics like:

• The #BlackPantherChallenge that started a crowdfunding campaign to send young Black people to see Marvel’s “Black Panther’ in theaters.
• The Tuskegee Next program, an initiative that helps Black students start careers as pilots through free lessons and mentorship.
• A student-curated exhibition at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts that represents diverse artists and their experiences.

[Explore Black arts and culture](id-art)

Black artistry is all around us. Help students learn more about Black writers, musicians, and other artists and the works representing their culture.

Learn more about influential Black musicians and artists

The musical and artistic culture created by Black Americans continues to shape and contribute to our greater, shared life and cultural experiences. Introduce students to some of the prominent figures in these fields like:

• Singer Aretha Franklin, known as the “Queen of Soul.”
• Opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, who forced white audiences to reconsider what an opera singer looked like.
• Painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, who emerged from New York’s Punk scene to become a well-known Neo-Expressionist artist.

Find connections between Black music and empowerment

Explore the Black experience through song and discover how all types of Black-influenced music—like gospel, soul, and rap—signify cultural empowerment:

• Learn about the history of Black music and its close ties to activism, protest, and justice.
• Explore how popular artists like Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar are winning awards and shaping modern-day Black culture with their music.
• Step into the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville and see how its exhibits pay tribute to past and present Black artists.

See how Black trailblazers have influenced all areas of art and culture

Beyond music, Black creatives have influenced other areas of culture through writing, art, and fashion. Learn more about the contributions of great Black artists and writers:

• See a visual history of Black hairstyles through the years and discover how and why people across the country are working to eliminate hair discrimination in schools and workplaces.
• Learn about historical and current Black female cartoonists and illustrators and see the perspectives they bring to comics and graphic novels.
• Discover what made publishing companies reevaluate their book selections and why the push to publish more works from diverse authors matters.

Learn more about famous Black authors and their books

Students can explore more about the lives and works of a variety of Black authors, illustrators, and screenwriters by exploring articles on:

• Zora Neale Hurston and how she captured the poetry of Black folklife.
• Maxine Beneba Clark’s children’s book “When We Say Black Lives Matter,” which explains the movement to children.
• Marley Dias’s #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign and her work to diversify young people’s reading lists.

Explore the works of Black women poets

Students can read engaging poets from historically famous and up-and-coming Black women poets with selections like:

• “Untethered” by Allison Joseph
• “The Black Queen” by Carrie Law Morgan Figgs
• “Absolute” by Jacqueline Woodson
• “the lost women” by Lucille Clifton
• “darkskin” by Maren Lovey Wright-Kerr

‍

[Meet influential Black athletes and entertainers](id-sports)

Teach students how Black Americans made their mark on sports, theater, and entertainment, overcoming adversity to let their talents shine.

Learn more about Black athletes of the past

Today, we have athletes of all races and cultural backgrounds in our professional sports teams, but that wasn’t always the case in the United States. Students can learn more about some barrier-breaking athletes and their impact on sports.

• Read an essay about why sports history is so important to American history.
• Assign a biography about track and field star Jesse Owens, the first Black athlete to win four gold medals at the Olympic Games.
• Discuss the history of segregated baseball leagues and the impact of Black players on the sport.

Get to know Black athletes of the present

Spark students’ interest in their Black History Month lessons by sharing resources about famous Black athletes of today.

• Read a 2016 obituary for boxing great Muhammad Ali.
• Discover how tennis star Coco Gauff uses her platform to spread messages of activism on civil rights issues.
• Ask students to debate once and for all who the basketball GOAT is—Michael Jordan or Lebron James.

Discover how sports and entertainment feature Black representation

Representation matters in all areas of American culture, including in sports and entertainment. Teach students about Black actors, performers, and sports stars changing the face of their professions.

• Share an interview with actress Laverne Cox, one of the first mainstream Black transgender performers on television.
• Discover dancer Misty Copeland’s journey to becoming the first Black principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre.
• Learn more about late actor Chadwick Boseman’s legacy and the impact of his work in movies like “Black Panther” on the arts.

[Teach students about Black leadership and activism](id-activism)

Black history is rooted in the fight for justice, civil rights, and representation. Introduce students to the leaders and activists of the past and present who are making a change.

Discover the meanings of resistance and liberation

Uncover how Black Americans have used resistance to achieve liberty through the years and establish their own cultural identity in the United States:

• Learn about New York City’s “kidnapping club” and why it meant freedom in the North wasn’t always free.
• Hear stories from some of the first Black students at integrated schools in Virginia about their life-changing experiences.
• Discover the history of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and its significance in Black history, from Martin Luther King Jr. to today’s political climate.

Learn more about the Black Power movement

The Black Power movement of the 1960s existed alongside the civil rights movement of the same era but used different protest and activism tactics to achieve its goal. Students can learn more about the movement by exploring resources on topics like:

• The history, legacy, and significance of the Black Panther Party.
• The 1969 Chicago police raid that killed two Black Panther leaders.
• Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech about the delayed passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Learn more about Black activists’ causes 

We often discuss the fight for civil rights, diversity, and inclusion in connection with Black history. But what do those words really mean? Help students better understand Black activists' causes by sharing resources on topics like:

• How  “Sesame Street” was modeled after Black communities to bring more inclusion to television.
• What well-known civil rights leader Malcolm X fought for.
• Why boxer Muhammad Ali refused to go to Vietnam, despite the draft.

Teach students about the experiences of Black soldiers

Black Americans have a long history of fighting for our country. Teach students about some of them with resources  like:

• A biography on Toussaint L’Ouverture, known as Black Spartacus.
• A biography of Cathy Williams, the first documented female Buffalo Soldier.
• An article explaining how Black Americans fought for their right to serve in the country’s military organizations.

See the different types of Black representation in politics

While some Black leaders pursue activism, others join politics to make a change. Learn more about some of the influential Black politicians in our country’s history, like:

• Barack Obama, the first Black president of the United States.
• Condoleezza Rice, the first Black woman secretary of state.
• Kamala Harris and Shirley Chisholm, two Black women who have run for president.

Hear from Black voices of the future

A new generation of Black leaders is just beginning. Introduce students to other people their age who are making a difference and breaking barriers, like:

• Delphine Dauphine a young entrepreneur who started her own cupcake business.
• Rajah Caruth, a teenager participating in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Development Program.
• National Youth Poet Laureate Patricia Frazier.

[Recognize Black contributions to science, education, and business](id-sci)

Business, education, and science would look very different without the help of Black leaders in those fields. Introduce students to their inventions, ideas, and discoveries.

Celebrating Black leaders in STEM

Science, technology, engineering, and math are popular career choices today, but they weren’t always. Especially not for Black people. Help students meet some of the pioneers who broke into STEM, like:

• Jane Cooke Wright, who invented new chemotherapy methods to treat cancer.
• Granville T. Woods, who registered nearly 60 patents in his lifetime.
• Gladys West, a mathematician who invented GPS for the Air Force.

Meet influential Black business leaders

Can your students name some of our country’s most famous Black businesses and the people who founded them? Help build background knowledge on the Black business scene with articles on topics like:

• The history of Ebony Magazine and what the publication means to Black America.
• How Motown’s founder Berry Gordy Jr. built an R&B and soul empire.
• How Atlanta’s vibrant Black tech scene is becoming a place to recruit top talent in the industry.

Learn the significance of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street

Most People have heard of Wall Street, the financial hub of the United States in New York City. But do your students know about Black Wall Street, the financial hub for Black communities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the 1900s? Teach students about this location and others like it with the following lesson:

• Have students read about the historic Greenwood District in Tulsa and its destruction in 1921.
• Assign an article about how other Black Wall Street neighborhoods in America were destroyed and how modern-day initiatives are trying to rebuild Black wealth.
• Work on a Write-Pair-Share worksheet to have students record and share their thoughts on the topic.

See how Black women have changed the world

Look at Black history through a tailored lens by exploring our “Trailblazing Women” text set:

• Explore Shirley Chisholm’s historic 1972 presidential campaign, making her the first Black woman and Black American overall to seek the office.
• Learn about NASA’s Katherine Johnson, a research mathematician who helped the United States become contenders in the 1960s “Space Race.”
• See how entertainer Josephine Baker fought against Nazi Germany and other Axis powers during World War II as a French spy.

Teach students about Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a strong tradition of excellence in higher education. But they have their roots in segregation. Teach students more about how these schools came to be with the following lesson:

• Assign students an opinion article on how HBCUs have helped shape the education of Black female leaders.
• Have students read about the HBCUs of Atlanta, Georgia, and the role they’ve played in the history of Black higher education.
• Extend the lesson by inviting students to research the HBCU of their choice and share what they’ve learned about the education and student life at that school.

[Share inspirational quotes from Black leaders](id-quote)

Black leaders have had a lot of wisdom to share. Start each day of Black History Month by quoting that wisdom with your students.

• Visit the Antebellum Period with quotes from Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.
• Look back at the Progressive Era with quotes from Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois.
• Travel through the Great Depression and Civil Rights Movement eras with quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Daisy Bates.
• Hear from modern-day Black leaders like former President Barack Obama and Shirley Chisholm.

Go further with your Black History Month lessons

We hope these resources help your students see themselves mirrored in these scientists’ experiences and provide windows into the lives of others with different goals and histories. But the lessons don’t have to stop here.If you’re not a Newsela customer, sign up for Newsela Lite for free. Then, you can start your 45-day trial of our premium content to access everything you need to teach about nearly any Heritage Month or historical event in your classroom.