Honor Black History With the Youth in Your Life

January 31, 2021 Luisa De Vogel Leave a Comment

As we continue the journey to create a more equitable world, PBS Wisconsin Education is here to support you in celebrating Black History Month with the children in your life! 

Research shows us that kids start noticing racial differences from as early as three months. It’s important to celebrate those differences with them and begin conversations about racism from an early age.

Celebrate Black History beyond the month of February with these PBS digital resources.

Educators

Centering Black Excellence in Education

Are you an educator looking for tools to support an inclusive classroom? Join PBS Wisconsin Education for a four-part virtual professional development series, Centering Black Excellence in Education. Discover resources and become part of a dedicated community of educators focused on equitable teaching practices. Sessions include:

• Teaching Black History with PBS Digital Resources, 12-12:30 p.m. Feb. 9 and 10
• Black Educators Speak: A Critical Look at Equity Across Learning Spaces, 3:30-5 p.m. Feb. 24
• Diversifying your Classroom Bookshelf with the CCBC, 4-5:30 p.m. Mar. 9
• Centering Black Excellence: Wisconsin Mini-EdCamp Chat, 3:30-4:30 Mar. 16

In order to build and nurture a community of learners that will expand beyond the series, join us for two or more of the events offered in this four-part series. When you attend two or more of the events, you will receive a PBS Wisconsin Education tote bag, a “Powered By Curiosity” sticker, a certificate of completion and an official letter of accomplishment from PBS Wisconsin Education.

Register today at pbswisconsineducation.org/events. 

Grades PreK-3

PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism

Hosted by the country’s first National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, PBS KIDS spoke with real families and had conversations about racial identity, anti-Black racism, and how it is incumbent on all of us — children and parents alike — to actively work towards building a more equitable society. 

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum

Hear from real life icons in Black history like Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks with Xavier Riddle, his sister Yadina and their friend Brad in this PBS KIDS series as they travel back in time to meet real life historical figures when they were kids.

Grades 3-8

Joshua Glover and the End of Slavery

In this Wisconsin Biographies story from PBS Wisconsin Education, discover how Joshua Glover escaped enslavement in St. Louis, Missouri, only to be recaptured in Wisconsin. Resources available with this story include a short animated video, leveled readers, cross curricular online activities for students, a gallery of historic images and teaching tips.

Vel Phillips and James Groppi: The Fight for Fair Housing

Learn how Vel Phillips and Father James Groppi did not back down while facing Milwaukee’s institutional racism. They organized and worked with African Americans — both in the streets and through the city council — to obtain equal rights under the law. Resources for this Wisconsin Biographies story include a short animated video, leveled readers, cross curricular online activities for students, a gallery of historic images and teaching tips.

Civil Rights: Then and Now

While students today may think of the civil rights movement as part of the distant past, it’s clear that many of the problems that fueled that fight are still with us. This collection of videos, documents and primary sources lends context to the events and leaders that defined the civil rights movement’s first three decades (1954-1985). These resources also capture the issues and activists involved in the struggle today — those making headlines, stirring debate and trending on social media. 

Grades 8-12

Black Lives Matter: Campaigning for Racial Justice

Learn about the origins, objectives and makeup of Black Lives Matter, an activist Black youth-led movement that campaigns against police brutality and other forms of racism, in this video from Eyes on the Prize: Then and Now. 

Confronting Anti-Black Racism

This collection of materials is designed to help students understand the long history of anti-Black racism in the United States and think about ways to address it in their own families and communities. 

Vel Phillips: Dream Big Dreams

Discover how Vel Phillips, Milwaukee’s first African American and first female alderman, rose to prominence as one of Wisconsin’s great civil rights activists boasting a list of “firsts” as part of her legacy. These include the first African American judge in Wisconsin and the first woman in the nation to hold executive office in state government. Resources available for this PBS Wisconsin resource include a documentary, video segments, a student interactive and teaching tips. 

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Top image credit: Wisconsin Historical Society, Vel Phillips and James Groppi at NAACP Youth Council Meeting, 119129. Viewed online.

Wisconsin Biographies Black History Month Black Lives Matter Black History PBS Kids Civil Rights Vel Phillips: Dream Big Dreams