Each February, Black History Month pays tribute to the experiences, struggles and achievements of African Americans through history. This year, encourage educators and students in your school to explore the impact of the 2024 theme, African Americans and the Arts.
The following resources from ABC-CLIO’s The American Mosaic: The African American Experience database can support student research and classroom instruction.
Activity: Hip Hop and History
In this activity, students will engage with resources to trace the development of African American music, from ragtime to rap. This activity provides students with key resources to evaluate the role of ragtime, blues, jazz, and rock and roll in the development of rap and hip -hop culture. Students illustrate their understanding by creating an illustrated timeline of the development of African American music over time.
Activity: Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance is one of the most prolific periods of creativity in African American arts. This activity explores the literature, music, and art of the Harlem Renaissance using primary and secondary sources.
Activity: Literature Connections: Their Eyes Were Watching God
This Literature Connection explores Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God by analyzing symbolism, theme, and tone as well as exploring the historical context of the novel.
Resources: Primary and Secondary Sources on Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar stands out as the first African American poet to enjoy national and international fame, which allowed him to support himself solely through his writing. His story as an artist is compelling because he wrote poetry both in standard English and in dialect. In our collection, you will find both standard English poems such as “The Poet and His Song” as well as a dialect poem, “An Ante-Bellum Sermon.” These resources, along with articles and images, will allow students to explore this pioneering Black artist along with the historical context for understanding the time period.
ABC-CLIO and Bloomsbury celebrate Black History Month while recognizing the critical importance of integrating Black history into the curriculum all year long. The African American Experience provides a comprehensive survey of African American history from the 16th century to the present day to support teaching and learning about this critical subject.
