Use these ideas to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the myriad achievements of Black Americans in your classroom during Black History Month and throughout the year.
Decorated Doors of Black Excellence
Here are some of our favorite bulletin boards, classroom doors, art projects, writing prompts, and more for Black History Month. Use these ideas to celebrate the myriad achievements of Black Americans in your classroom during Black History Month and throughout the year.
1. Turn your classroom doors into inspirational murals
Everyone can use inspiration. Helping your students to see they have tremendous power within themselves is an excellent idea for your door. Every day students will be reminded of their unlimited ability.
2. Add Some Buzzword Displays
Courage and belief have been at the center of people who have changed the world. A buzzword display can help students connect with those who came before them.
3. Ask students: What's your dream?
There is no future without a dream. Dreams and aspirations keep every human being moving forward. Challenge your students and ask them, "What's your dream?"
4. Theme from the movie "Hidden Figures."
This movie has been an inspiration to women and black women. At a time when men dominated technology, three women helped to solve the mathematic issues during the Space Race.
5. Ruby Bridges
At the age of six, Ruby Bridges became the face of civil rights as she helped integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. She faced hatred with courage most adults do not have.
6. Sign Language
Image:The Goddard School North Brunswick
7. Celebrating black women
Black women have always stood on the mountains of greatness and have given inspiration to their people.
Image: Akron Public Schools
8. Celebrating black inventors
Where would the world be without inventors?
Image: Akron Public Schools
9. Teach kindness
Teaching kindness can be a simple lesson with far-reaching effects.
10. Underground railroad
The metaphor of the railroad (that which we can travel by and leave) led many enslaved people to freedom. The journey was not easy, and many enslaved people wanted to turn back. Having conductors like Harriet Tubman kept people's eyes on the North Star and a land of freedom.
Image: Akron Public Schools
11. Collage of historical figures under the umbrella of magnificent black hair!
This door is unique as the teacher has all these influential figures housed under an afro (a symbol of power and strength).
Image: Good Morning America
12. Promote Higher Education through Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
There is a lot of pride in those who attend HBCUs. These schools have beautiful traditions and histories. Promoting HBCUs to students helps to keep them open and gives students unique opportunities in their educational experiences.
What can I do to decorate my door to celebrate Black History Month?
Your imagination only limits your classroom door decoration. Understandably, decorating is challenging, if manageable, for many teachers. One of the easiest ways to decorate your door is to place several African Americans of influence on it with a little-known fact about them besides their picture.
Another idea for door décor is to research little-known people who have made subtle contributions. An example would be Stacy Abrams. She is an African American woman who ran for governor of Georgia in 2020 and 2022. Although Ms. Abrams did not become governor, she did mobilize African Americans to vote in record numbers that helped to flip the state of Georgia from a Republican state to a Democrat state. Her influence will be felt for years to come as the importance of voting affected the Georgia Senate race.
There have been people throughout history, in various parts of the world, that have left their mark. Your door could say Germans of African Descent (ancestry) or great Afro-Cubans such as Javier Sotomayor (world recorder in the high jump and the only man ever to clear 8 feet.)
Themes such as science, math, literature, or social justice make tremendous topics. What is the primary subject of your class? How can you incorporate unique black achievements related to your lessons?
Brief History of Celebrating African American Achievement
BHM began as a weekly celebration in the second week of February 1915. The birthdays of Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln coincided with this week and were known as Negro History Week. By the 1960s, the recognition of black culture grew thanks to the Civil Rights Movement and the progressive thinking of college campuses across America.
President Gerald Ford officially acknowledged BHM in 1976, and the entire month of February celebrates black achievement. Many people who've helped pave the way for black acknowledgement include Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Katherine Johnson, Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama. These brave people executed their visions in industry, politics, science, and philosophy.
The chosen theme for BHM 2023 is "Black Resistance ." This topic will explore how African Americans resisted historical and ongoing oppression, racial terrorism, and lynching. Although the history of African achievement has decades of acknowledgement, extreme attitudes still resist the world's contributions from various cultures.
BHM Around the World
Many countries have mirrored the US in acknowledging the history and influencing people of African descent. The countries that have dedicated time to acknowledge black people are Canada, the UK, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Australia. The land "down below" honors Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with "Blak" History. The dropping of the letter "c" commemorates the Aboriginal language.
Canada celebrates Black History Month in February in uniformity with its US neighbor. The UK dedicates the month of October to Black History. October coincides with the beginning of school, giving black children a sense of pride at the start of their school year.
Latin America also celebrates black history and culture. There is no dedicated month but specific days that recognize the history of blacks in Latin America. In Panama, there is Dia de la Etnia Negra (Black Ethnic Day), with the most important day being May 31. In Costa Rica, the people honor Black and Afro-Costa Rican Culture Day, and Peru observes Afro-Peruvian Culture Day throughout June.
Finally, in Brazil, there is Black Awareness Day. The day commemorates Zumbi dos Palmares, an Afro-Brazilian liberator from the late 1600s.
Black History Month at TeacherVision
We hope these ideas have helped to spark your ideas in creating beautiful doors, bulletin boards, and activities for your students.
Check out our Black History Month Resource Hub for more Creative Ideas, Classroom Activities, Bulletin Board Ideas, and Printables.
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Happy Black History Month!
Sources
https://blackgirlnerds.com/black-history-celebrations-around-the-world/
https://myamericanmeltingpot.com/2021/02/16/where-black-history-month-celebrated-abroad/
