This week our focus for Black Lives Matter is Josephine Baker. She was a singer, dancer, spy and activist. Her story has a bit of it all. Read along to learn more about her amazing life and why it matters to us all.
Showing posts with label black history month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black history month. Show all posts
Two of the Big Six: John Lewis and A. Philip Randolph #blacklivesmatter
As I thought about who to do next for our Black Lives Matter Series I realized I should do John Lewis since he passed away this weekend. He was last of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement to die. As I did my research I realized that A. Philip Randolph was as well so today I am going to share about both of them. The Big Six were Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins and Whitney Young. They were instrumental in the planning of the March on Washington in 1963.
Mamie Phipps Clark -- #blacklivesmatter -- the Black Psychologist Who Helped End Segregation in Schools
Today we are continuing our Black Lives Matter Series. Today we are getting to know about Mamie Phipps Clark. She and her husband, Kenneth B. Clark, helped end segregation in public schools. Kenneth often said he piggybacked on his wife's research and tried to give her more of the credit, but he often is the one who is credited still, so we are focusing on Mamie. I find her work and life so fascinating. She dealt with racism and sexism throughout her life and worked towards what we are still fighting for--equal rights. Even now her husband gets more credit for the work that was originally hers which he decided to participate in after she started it. Plus her most famous study was a doll test involving white and brown dolls. Now I have shared one of my biggest regrets of not saying something to a young Black girl at a store when she thought the white doll was more beautiful than the Black doll. This one hit me personally. Plus her work was used to end segregation. I think back to my own years of schooling and think of how much learning about other cultures from my friends of other races added so much to my life and still does. Plus to my own classrooms and how the mixed races always made the classes more interesting and a better experience. So with those thoughts, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark.
Claudette Colvin -- #blacklivesmatter
Do you know the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Who do you think ignited the Black people? If you say Rosa Parks, you are incorrect. There were actually two teenagers before Rosa Parks. The first was Claudette Colvin. At age 15 Claudette Colvin refused to give her seat up on the bus. She was arrested and put in jail and this was about nine months to the day before Rosa Parks does the same thing. Today I am going to share a bit about Claudette Colvin and her important role in the Civil Rights Movement as part of our Black Lives Matter Series. This post is late today because our public library now has curbside pickup and I was able to get a middle grade book about Claudette and I wanted to read it all today. It was amazing to learn so much different than I have been taught previously.
Bryan Stevenson -- Lawyer, Activist -- #blacklivesmatter
As we continue with our Black Lives Matter Series today we are looking at Bryan Stevenson. Now I will admit I knew nothing about him before researching him for this post. He is one of the names I was given by my black teacher friends when I asked for black people every American should know. From reading about Bryan Stevenson I have to say he is the perfect person to feature right now. His own experiences and those he fights for are examples of the injustice and prejudice in our country and society. I just watched the movie based off of Bryan Stevenson's memoir, Just Mercy. (The film and book have the same title.) If you have not watched it, you should. It is powerful. I cannot wait to get my hands on the book since I know the book is always better than the movie. This movie shows Bryan as a compassionate and intelligent man. He devotes his life to helping the poor and the people who have been charged with crimes they did not commit.
3 Multicultural Picture Books
I have gathered a group of three new multicultural picture books to share with you. Each are multicultural in different ways and share about different important lessons. We will start with one that is good for teaching young children a bit of Civil Rights Movement history. It is A Ride to Remember by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan and illustrated by Floyd Cooper.
Changing the Equation -- Meet 3 of the Mathematicians from this book #blacklivesmatter
Today we are continuing with our Black Lives Matter Series. In doing my research for Mary Eliza Mahoney I stumbled across Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM by Tonya Bolden. I was able to get a digital review copy of it. And WOW!! It is full of names some you probably heard of and others that you have not. These women are doctors, nurses, engineers, computer programmers/coders, mathematicians, scientists and so much more. I knew I had to share this book with you as quickly as I could. I wanted to make it even more meaningful to be part of our Black Lives Matter Series so I am going to review the book and share about three of the amazing women in the book and of course I picked the mathematicians. After all they are my sisters from my past life.
Gwendolyn Brooks and August Wilson -- #blacklivesmatter
This week for our Black Lives Matter Series, I am going to share two people who are not on my list but who I found some relatively new picture books about. Last week I shared Mary Eliza Mahoney, the first trained black woman. Today I am sharing books about Gwendolyn Brooks, the first black person to win the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, and August Wilson, a black playwright who won two Pulitzer Prizes and a Tony Award.
Mary Eliza Mahoney -- #blacklivesmatter
With our nation looking at racial relationships right now I wanted to take time to look at black lives. As I read the Facebook posts and articles and think about everything that is going on, I think about my life, my white privilege and how I have brought Hazel up. One of my biggest regrets happened years ago when I didn't say anything to a young black girl at a Macy's around Christmas time. She saw a black holiday Barbie and said something like pretty and then saw the white one and said something along the lines of prettier. I wanted to tell her no the white one is not prettier, but I got scared. What would the mother think of a white stranger talking to her young daughter? Would I scare the girl? My friend finished her transaction and we walked away. I was the only the adult who heard the young girl and by not saying anything I let that poor girl go on believing white was prettier than black which is so not true. This has weighed heavily on my mind for decades now. This has been stirred up again.
Let's Read About Black Characters & People -- Round-Up of Children's Books
The other day as I talked to Hazel about current events on our walk and was telling her my plans for Crafty Moms Share, she said, "Did you ever notice that when there is a black person in a book there is just one in a group of white friends?" Oh, yes, we still have the token black person in our society of books and television shows. She even commented how sometimes the group is made up of one person of different races like in The Start-Up Squad Series. I recently read an article about how white people need to do more than talk to our kids about racism. Where we live, who our neighbors are, books we read/provide our kids, who our friends are, the diversity of the school we send our kids to all play a part in how our kids grow up and understand race relations. Now I cannot change your neighborhood or their school but I hope I can change the books in your house and your library. I asked some fellow bloggers as well as authors that are part of the Multicultural Children's Book Day group for any books, activities, and reviews they had with black people as the main characters. Today I am going to share a round-up of books shared and some others I found (on Amazon). I will link reviews and activities whenever possible. It is important that all of our kids read books that have people like them but it is also important that our kids read books with people who do not look like them. This will build their understanding and help them to grow and learn about race and culture and hopefully not be racist when they grow up. I have the books separated into picture books, fairy tales, chapter books/novels, and non-fiction/biographies. There are some separation within some of these genres as well.
George Edwin Taylor -- Black History Month
This year for Black History Month we are going to talk politics. Now I will admit I hate talking politics. Mostly I hate it because I think all of the people we have elected (and have choices to elect) are selfish and power hungry and don't do a good job. Personally I feel they should be paying the citizens every day that they don't actually decide anything for the better of the country (which would be every day). However I am going to put my hatred aside today and talk about some of the history of the United States President elections. We all know back in 2008, Barrack Obama made history as the first black United States President. Did you know he was not the first black man to run for President?
Biographies of Black People for Grades 3-5 -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
It is January and that means Multicultural Children's Book Day is coming. This year it is scheduled for January 31, 2020, and I will be cohosting it so be sure to tune in then to see all the amazing books shared. Today I get to share three books from Capstone Editions. This collection of books share a look into the lives of three black Americans that you may or may not have heard of but are perfect books for the upcoming Black History Month. They are all recommended for grades 3 to 5. We will start with Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom by Gwendolyn Hooks and illustrated by Simone Agoussoye.
Multicultural Books for Multicultural Monday
January is upon us. Wow, time has been flying. Now that the holidays are over we turn back and look at our lives. Did you make resolutions? I always find January to be bitter sweet. I enjoy the holidays and seeing everyone and they are over. We take our Christmas decorations down and the house seems empty. However as someone who loves diversity there are always more things to look forward to. Multicultural Children's Book Day is January 31st and I am co-hosting again this year. Stay tune for my official posts starting this week. The lunar new year is also approaching. I will be participating in Multicultural Kid Blogs annual blog series on January 20th to share books about China and Korea and their lunar new year celebrations. And of course Martin Luther King Day is this month. So much great stuff. Then February hits with Black History Month. Lots to look forward to. Today I thought I would share four multicultural books with you to start off our January.
Biographies & Non-Fiction Stories
Today Hazel and I are writing a joint post. She is going to review half the books. All of the books we have put together are biographies and non-fiction stories. Two are novels of stories about war. Let's start with the two picture books. The first book is Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Zosia Dzierzawska.
Books for Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month and today I am sharing a round-up of books for you to check out to celebrate many amazing women. Some are women you have heard of and others are about women you may not have heard of. I always love learning about new, amazing women. Don't you? These books range in ages from baby (board book) to around 11. We will start with our board book.
Black Inventors
As I thought about Black History Month and the Blog Hop, I wanted to find something fun to share with you. I reviewed two great books for grades 3+ for Black History Month last week, so I was looking for something more of a lesson and research. I am lucky. I have a former colleague who is black and was a history teacher (now a vice principal) and every February he shares 28 posts about black history. I considered taking some of the people and events in his posts to share with you, but as I started researching some of them I found all these amazing inventions we use almost every day that were invented or helped to be invented by black people. So I am going to share some black inventors and their creations with you.
Black History Month Books for Grades 3+
February has a lot packed in it this year. We have Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year, and I haven't even started on Black History Month. Today I am going to share two amazing resources for Black History Month. These books are for grades 3 or higher. Be sure to come back on Monday for my post for the Multicultural Kid Blogs Black History Month Blog Hop. The first book I want to share has been around for a couple of years and has received a few honor rewards. It is Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Ekua Holmes. And the first thing I am going to say about this book is "WOW!!"
The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition #ReadYourWorld
It is January and that means Multicultural Children's Book Day is coming soon!! As a cohost and reviewer I love January. I love being exposed to amazing multicultural books that I hadn't heard of and getting to share them with you. Today's book is an amazing find. Quick when you hear Lewis and Clark Expedition, who do you think about (knowing we are talking about multicultural stories)? I am guessing you said Sacagawea. I know that is who I think of. We have had the pleasure of reading some amazing books about Sacagawea and sharing them here and here. However today's book teaches you about another diverse person who was forced to go on the dangerous expedition. The person is named York, and he was a slave of Captain William Clark. Our book today is The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Hasan Davis and illustrated by Alleanna Harris.
Fairy Tales in Different Cultures: a West Indies Rumpelstiltskin
Last week we brought back our Fairy Tales in Different Cultures and introduced the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. This week we are going to look at another version of Rumpelstiltskin. This one is written by Virginia Hamilton and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon and is called The Girl Who Spun Gold. In the author's notes about the story Virginia shares a bit of history of the Rumpelstiltskin tale and shares that this West Indian version is written what is called black dialect.
Phillis Wheatley -- Slave and Poet #womenshistorymonth
March is Women's History Month. Even though I have a bookshelf full of books to review and share with you, I thought I would take time out to share about Phillis Wheatley. Hazel has a history presentation today on Phillis Wheatley so we have been learning quite a bit about her lately. I can't wait to see Hazel dressed up as her and do her presentation. There is a photo below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)