DAY 1. Bring art and history together by recreating Civil Rights Freedom Movement posters (African American History Month Exhibits & Collections).

DAY 2. Explore African American Athletes.

DAY 3. In Africa, sesame seeds bring good luck. Make a delicious batch of sesame cookies with this recipe.

DAY 4. Learn about the Black Lives Matter movement

DAY 5. Take an online tour and learn about St. Louis’ impactful history in the African American struggle for civil rights at The Missouri History Museum.

DAY 6. Who was the first African American tennis player to win the U.S. Open? Who was the first African American woman elected to U.S. Congress? Find out about many famous firsts in black history

DAY 7. Learn about Africans in America.

DAY 8. Learn about the scientific work of African Americans with these Black History Month resources from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

DAY 9. Honor some of the military’s most courageous veterans.

DAY 10. Read books with black characters in honor of the young hero Marley Dias.

DAY 11. Learn about the art of stepping.

DAY 12. Learn about the development of Jazz in Time.

DAY 13. Study the African American Visual Art and the Black Arts Movement.

DAY 14. Host a poetry reading. https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/poets-voice-langston-hughes-and-you

DAY 15. Hold Court: Your future legal students will enjoy learning about the key Supreme Court cases that helped African Americans secure rights, the events and efforts that sparked the cases, and the aftermath of those court decisions.

DAY 16. Listen Up: RadioPublic has an excellent roundup of podcasts about black history for you and your students to listen to.

DAY 17. Learn about The Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom https://www.nationalgeographic.org/maps/underground-railroad-journey-freedom/

DAY 18. Learn about African American Inventors http://african-americaninventors.org/

DAY 19. Analyze and compare visual and poetic works by Jacob Lawrence, Helene Johnson, and Paul Laurence Dunbar and consider how they represent changing roles of African Americans (http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/jacob-lawrences-migration-series-removing-mask)

DAY 20. Conduct a read-aloud of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, then invite students to write their own speeches about what they are inspired to change in the world.

DAY 21. Play the African counting game Mancala. To make the game board, use a large egg carton (cut off the lid) and tape an extra cup (cut from another carton) to each end.

DAY 22. Learn about Jim Crow Laws and other historical events, such as the Emancipation of Slavery.

DAY 23. See James Karales’s photographs of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches

DAY 24. Share excerpts of contemporary novelist Zadie Smith’s On Beauty with students and, using the reading guide, have a discussion about her portrayal of white and black middle-class kids in America.

DAY 25. Teach about the importance of journalism as well as its limitations during the Civil Rights Movement.

DAY 26. Watch student-made digital stories on important African Americans. Divide students into groups to make their own digital stories about a person of their choice.

DAY 27. Teach students the songs of the civil rights movement, such as “This Little Light of Mine” and “Oh, Freedom.” Discuss how the lyrics reflect the defiant and hopeful spirit of the time.

DAY 28. Learn about the history of hip-hop music, a genre that emerged in the Bronx, New York City, in 1970. Ask students to bring in examples of their favorite songs or dances to discuss. https://www.npr.org/series/4823817/the-history-of-hip-hop

DAY 29. Take some time to learn about the continent of Africa https://www.britannica.com/place/Africa/People