Celebrate Black history with these videos, lessons, podcasts & more from Common Sense Media

Photo above by Lechon Kirb via Unsplash.

The inclusion of Black history and culture is essential for an accurate and true representation of American (and world) history. Black History Month is a perfect time to highlight the people who have not only created foundational innovations, art, and achievements, but also organized and protested for equal rights and freedoms.

Of course, the civil rights movement and figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks are integral pieces of this history. But there are lesser-known — and incredibly impactful — people and contributions that illustrate an even greater breadth and depth of Black history and culture.

Our friends at Common Sense Media have curated a powerful set of resources — including videos, texts, lessons, podcasts, and more — about activists, art and culture, inventors, engineers, historical events, and beyond. These resources were created with school teachers in mind, but they’re also great for parents to explore with kids.

Many of the offerings have helpful suggestions for which grades/ages they may be best for (scroll down here to see grade bands). But many are flexible and adaptable to just about any age group, and parents can use their own judgment as they decide which are best for their kids.

Among the resources:

• Common Sense has gathered a great lineup of movies and TV shows that celebrate Black music.
• Browse, select, and read from this great collection of nonfiction and fiction texts written by Black writers, artists, and activists on CommonLit.
• Get lost in this gold mine of in-depth and highly accessible video interviews and biographies of notable African American people on the History Makers website.
• The Center for Racial Justice in Education has a guide for educators that hosts a huge collection of lessons and resources. 
• Smithsonian’s History Explorer has a ton of activities labeled with the appropriate grade band and including interactives and artifacts.
• MAEC has collected lists of podcasts, articles, books and more that span several grade levels.
• The Library of Congress has some great resources that can help you dig deeper into familiar topics to find primary sources and more.
• Hear from Black authors on the Reading Rockets site to learn about their processes and perspectives.

You can explore these resources and find much more right here. Use these with your kids during Black History Month or any time of the year.