By Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor
Executive Director, National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc
Every year during Black History Month, we celebrate Black communities’ triumphs, achievements, and perseverance. Created by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month started as a week to educate the African American community about our amazing heritage and history. The week was later expanded into a month-long celebration.
Throughout February and year-round, parents have a number of ways to celebrate Black history with their children and family. These activities help personalize the celebration while instilling pride, hope, and knowledge. Here are six incredible ways to celebrate Black History Month with your children.
1. Pull out family artifacts: Show off different types of family memorabilia
My maternal grandmother, Virginia Jones, was an amazing artisan. She painted, quilted, and created beautiful crafts. She had six granddaughters. After each of us graduated from high school, she presented us with a beautiful handmade quilt made with a mixture of kente cloth and old clothing that our parents used to wear as children. My grandmother passed away years ago, but as my children grow, I’m able to show them her artwork and pass it down to the next generation. Family artifacts can be anything passed down through your family that has personal or historical significance. If you have a unique painting, quilt, piece of jewelry, award, or medal, these are great things to share with your children to connect with your family’s Black history.
2. Storytelling: Share stories about past family members and what they achieved
My maternal grandmother, Virginia Jones, also told me how my family escaped from a plantation when she was a young child. My great-grandparents had to flee from sharecropping with their children until they reached Augusta, GA. My paternal grandmother, Annie Mae Sanders Mitchell, told me a family legend about how her grandfather had an honorary chief status among local Native Americans in South Carolina. I have not been able to verify the story, which is a difficult task considering the time. However, it is still very interesting and leads to a more significant discussion about the relationships built between African American/Gullah Geechee Maroon communities and Native Americans in the American South during and after slavery. It also encourages us to revisit the history of the Gullah Wars and possible family connections to these moments in history.
My family also has personal stories of jazz musicians and military veterans serving overseas during World Wars I and II. My mother recently sent a photo of my great-great-grandfather, Rev. Benjamin Jones, who was born shortly after the end of slavery and was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. His son, my great-grandfather, Rev. Bennie Jones, followed in his footsteps.
During Black History Month, we often focus on the achievements of famous African Americans while forgetting that we also have personal narratives that uplift and connect our shared identity. Sharing these stories with family members and children helps to instill a sense of personalized pride in their heritage. It also opens them up to understanding their abilities and confidently moving through their lives.
3. Create a family tree corner: Take out old photos and build a family tree
If you have access to old family photos, a good activity to do is creating a family tree. To preserve the original photos, make copies by taking an up-close picture with your smartphone or using a photocopier. Print out the photos and then put the copies in different frames stacked on different levels on a table. You can use shoe boxes over a tablecloth to create a layered effect. Then, write the names of the family members and tape them to the frame. This activity highlights to children and adults the beauty of their lineage and its continuity. It’s a way for children to learn more about their history visually and another opportunity to share family stories. It’s also fun to recognize physical and personality similarities among family members.
4. Arts, crafts, and STEM: Have children create cultural art through crafts or STEM
Remember that quilt I mentioned earlier? Black History Month is an excellent opportunity to introduce a child to quilting, sewing, painting, and any other activities that they can use to be creative and express themselves. So much of our history testifies to our cultural creativity directly connected to Africa. When I was a young girl, my grandmother took dried gourds and weaved beads around them to turn them into instruments. You could create something similar with your children.
Another excellent option is to work with your children on a STEM project. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics help transform the world around us. STEM relies heavily on creativity and skill. Teach your children about the scientific achievements of George Washington Carver, the renowned inventor and agricultural scientist; Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician who was a focal point of the film Hidden Figures; and astronaut Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space. There are many more examples.
Fun STEM activities include learning code, creating an app, building structures with Legos, kid-safe chemistry experiences, and building an airplane or robot. The list goes on.
5. Sign-a-long: Teach your children the Black History classics
As a young child, I learned to Lift Every Voice and Sing (The Negro National Anthem) written by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson. To this day, I am thankful that my teachers and church leaders had us learn and sing this song. Whenever we sing Lift Every Voice and Sing at community events or church, we always have a sense of unity, love, remembrance of our ancestors, and respect for our heritage. You can have your children learn the different verses of Lift Every Voice and Sing and give special prizes as they learn along the way.
Another good option is learning Negro Spirituals like, Go Down Moses or folksongs like the Ballad of John Henry. These songs connect children with the music and poetry that follow through our culture and still impact our music today.
6. Take a trip: Visit African American history museums and landmarks
Cultural and historical African American landmarks can be found all over America. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park is in Maryland. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is in Washington, DC. Black History museums can be found nationwide. Look online to find places to explore and visit in your area. These trips help children immerse themselves in history and have eye-opening live experiences that will impact them.
These are six different ways that you can celebrate Black History Month with your children. Black History Month is a time for both reflection and celebration. It’s also an opportunity to help our children embrace and love who they are on a personal level. This Black History Month, let your children know they are Black history, present, and future!
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