Celebrating the Contributions of Black Americans in Every Aspect of Life

When students hear 'Black History Month', we immediately think of the efforts of Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and of SNCC and other civil rights activists groups. And we should; their rubric for peaceful protest and 'boy-cott' is unparalleled in history, so far as I've seen.

We might also think of the suffering of enslaved Americans; now there's a role model for courage, fortitude and amazing physical, mental and emotional endurance. I'm convinced that these people were endowed with a vitality that borders upon the superhuman, to have been able to withstand the atrocities wrought upon their bodies and souls.

But even these awesome accomplishments don't even begin to tell the story of the Black contribution to our entire way of life. All cultures and peoples have enhanced the quality of life; in science, arts, music, education, mathematics, government, literature, medicine. But when a group is demeaned and down-trodden, those achievements come at a very high cost. This innate perseverance has enabled the Black community to produce some work that borders on the miraculous, especially considering the social handicaps under which it was produced. Adversity has given extra value to the gifts our society has received.

When I teach Black History, I use a wide angle lens that encompasses not simply the Civil rights movement, but the contribution of the Black community in every aspect of life. I've prepared a syllabus if you will of materials, resources and experiences that my students enjoy in our celebration of the Black community. I've designed it as an outline.

Science

George Washington Carver -(biologist) He gave us many things, but most memorable to students is his engineering efforst wtith the peanut and soy bean as edible for human consumption.

Peanuts-
We brainstorm a list of all the products we would not have without peanuts.
We design a poster from this data.
We create a diorama of GWC's laboratory
We sample some tasty and healthy products made from peanuts.