Share Quotes of Day in Celebration of Black History Month
- Quote of the Day - Every morning, greet your students with a new quote or fact that’s relevant to black history.
- Fact of the Day - Research and share little known facts related to black history. You could do a theme a week. Try Famous Firsts, Music Facts, Hometown Heroes. The possibilities are endless.
- Person of the Day/Week - Highlight a different person every day or week.
- Question of the Day - Start each morning with a question about an important time in black history, music, sports or the arts.
Teach students about Blacks in U.S. history and how they impacted later civil rights movements through stories, videos, and other lessons. Have students create a storyboard that shows why this person is significant
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1. Host a Teddy Bear and Friends Drive
Collect stuffed animals then donate to a homeless shelter for new arrivals. Your local police or fire station might accept this type of donation as well. A teddy bear can bring comfort to children in times of distress.
2. Make Hygiene Kits for the Homeless
Homeless people struggle to obtain basic necessities to wash their hands and brush their teeth. Organize your group to collect hotel samples or purchase travel-sized items from a dollar store to complete the kits.
3. Stand Up Against Hunger
People struggle with hunger every day. Collect non-perishable food items from neighbors, family and friends and donate to your local food bank. Before collecting items, check out your local food bank’s website to see what items are accepted.
For Regional Food Banks here.
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Each year, the New York State Education Department honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory by inviting schools to submit original student artworks and essays that reflect Dr. King's Six Principles and Steps of Nonviolence.
Purpose
- To understand that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commemorates the birthday of Dr. King and reminds all Americans of his dreams and goals for this nation
- To have the opportunity to take part in the celebration of Dr. King's birthday
- To reflect on ways to celebrate Dr. King's birthday and legacy in everyday life
- To have the opportunity to learn about the social, political and economic factors that contributed to the civil rights movement
- To learn about the philosophy of nonviolence as practiced by Dr. King and to understand its relevance for today's society
- To appreciate and respect the contributions and rights of others without regard to the similarities or differences they may present
Celebrating and Learning About Black History and Culture
Through children's books, interviews with Black children's authors and illustrators, classroom activities, online history resources, and powerful documentaries, we celebrate and learn about the lives and contributions of African Americans. We encourage educators and librarians to look for opportunities to include these stories throughout the year and across the curriculum.
- Quote of the Day - Every morning, greet your students with a new quote or fact that’s relevant to black history.
- Fact of the Day - Research and share little known facts related to black history. You could do a theme a week. Try Famous Firsts, Music Facts, Hometown Heroes. The possibilities are endless.
- Person of the Day/Week - Highlight a different person every day or week.
- Question of the Day - Start each morning with a question about an important time in black history, music, sports or the arts.
1. Remember Service Men & Women
Send care packages to deployed troops, veterans, and wounded soldiers. Write a letter of gratitude for their service, and include snack and personal care items. Check out Operation Gratitude and Give 2 The Troops organizations to learn where to send your care packages.
2. Bring A Smile to the Homeless
Fill a pair of new socks with granola bars and bottles of water to give to homeless men and women you pass on the street.
3. Pitch In For the Elderly
Organize your group to rake leaves, shovel snow, or do housework for elderly neighbors. If you don’t have an elderly neighbor, consider a senior citizens neighborhood community.
4. Read to Senior Citizens
Aging eyes can make it difficult to read fine print. Volunteer to read letters, newspapers or magazines to residents in a local nursing home.
5. Collect Eyeglasses
Many nonprofit organizations collect old glasses and repurpose them by sending them to people in need. OneSight and Lions Clubs International are two organizations helping in this worthy cause. Research online which group has a location closer to you.
For more information here.
7. Blizzard Boxes
What is a Blizzard Box? With your help, we can address local food insecurity by packing Blizzard Boxes, which are filled with non-perishable food items. Boxes must include 1 of item item requested for a complete meal to be distributed to our local pantry, HOPE Community Services and other locations where there is a need.
For more information here.
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February is Black-American History Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Black-Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.
Black Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond presents a selection of paintings, sculpture, prints, and photographs by forty-three black artists who explored the Black-American experience from the Harlem Renaissance through the Civil Rights era and the decades beyond, which saw tremendous social and political changes. In response, these artists created an image of America that recognizes individuals and community and acknowledges the role of art in celebrating the multivalent nature of American society.
The artworks in the exhibition lay out a vision of America from an Black-American viewpoint. These artists embrace many universal themes and also evoke specific aspects of the Black- American experience—the African Diaspora, jazz, and the persistent power of religion.
The National Civil Rights Museum traces the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel, which was the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
The museum consists of a complex of historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee, with exhibits on the history and legacy of the civil rights movement.
During the segregation era, the Lorraine Motel operated as lodging that catered to Black-American clientele. Among its guests through the 1960s were musicians that including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, and many others.
Following the assassination of King, Room 306 where King died, and the adjoining room were maintained as a memorial to the activist leader.
Eventually, a museum complex was developed, and in 1991, the museum was opened to the public.
There are more than 400 national parks across the country of different shapes, sizes, naming designations, and reasons for being created as parks. Black history is preserved and shared in many national parks with some being created as monuments to remember specific individuals in our nation's history. Explore national parks that were named after people and visit their websites to take a deeper look at their life's achievements, contributions, and lasting legacies.
Black History in Two Minutes (or so) is the new way to immerse yourself in Black History. Presented by Be Woke.Vote, the digital video series features dozens of short, engaging and factually accurate videos about important historical events or people who have shaped American history. Like never before, people of all ages, backgrounds and educational levels can learn more about the African American experience.
Underground Railroad: Routes to Freedom
The Underground Railroad was a network of people working to take enslaved people from the southern United States to freedom in the northern U.S. and Canada.
The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You
When the Academy of American Poets, an EDSITEment-reviewed website, asked the public to vote on their favorite American poet, the verdict was decisive: Langston Hughes. The Academy then sent a petition to the U.S. Postal service urging the adoption of a stamp commemorating this most popular of American poets, and on February 1 (the poet's birthday), 2002, the U.S. Postal Service did just that, issuing the stamp pictured in the left-hand corner above.
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Each year, the New York State Education Department honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory by inviting schools to submit original student artworks and essays that reflect Dr. King's Six Principles and Steps of Nonviolence.
Purpose
- To understand that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commemorates the birthday of Dr. King and reminds all Americans of his dreams and goals for this nation
- To have the opportunity to take part in the celebration of Dr. King's birthday
- To reflect on ways to celebrate Dr. King's birthday and legacy in everyday life
- To have the opportunity to learn about the social, political and economic factors that contributed to the civil rights movement
- To learn about the philosophy of nonviolence as practiced by Dr. King and to understand its relevance for today's society
- To appreciate and respect the contributions and rights of others without regard to the similarities or differences they may present
February is Black History Month, and NYSED will launch our “My History, My Future” campaign once again. This annual social media campaign features inspiring quotes from outstanding students in New York’s My Brother’s Keeper programs expressing their hopes for the future. We will also continue to feature artworks from the New York State Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Art & Essay Exhibit each day through the end of February. I encourage you to follow the hashtags #MyHistoryMyFuture, #NYSMLK, and #StudentsExhibitingMLK on our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn).
ENL Department Pre-K-12