Black History Month 2021

Dear  Parents, 

We are now a few days into Black History Month. While this is a great opportunity to celebrate and honor the experiences and contributions of Black people -- both within and beyond the U.S. -- an important reminder from one of my favorite African-American children’s authors, Nikki Grimes,  is: “Black history is American history, so let's just call Black History Month one of the highlight reels.” This month offers a reminder to center Black voices, stories and contributions as we teach our children about history, but it’s something we can always prioritize.  

As I’ve suggested previously, children’s books can offer accessible opportunities to support our antiracist parenting journey. This month, I encourage you to seek out texts that focus on Black history in the U.S. and to prioritize selecting those written by Black authors. These are two of  our house’s recent additions:

• The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez: 

  • Available at Shop at Matter, a Black-owned Denver bookstore  

  • Intended for children ages 4-8

  • The illustrations are beautiful and the words are powerful. In our house, this sparked an important conversation about civil rights and allyship. We spent a while on letter M, reflecting on the power of marching as part of the Black Lives Matter movement: 

    • “M is for march, for lifting our feet, taking the movement, the cause to the street.  Black lives matter. Every breath, every dream - Every through, each idea, each impossible scheme. The might of our message is easy to hear: The drumbeat of hope is louder than fear.” 

  • There is so much in this text, including additional explanations about each letter’s message in the back for parents and children to learn more.  

• Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe

  • Available at BookBar, a Denver bookstore who centers social justice in their work. 

  • Intended for children ages 6-12 

  • While some of the language might be hard to follow, the illustrations are so captivating that younger children can appreciate it too.

  • Tells the story of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat as a child in New York City

  • I love how this book celebrates creativity and Jean-Michel’s uniqueness: 

    • “His drawings are not neat or clean, nor does he color inside the lines.  They are sloppy, ugly, and sometimes weird, but somehow still BEAUTIFUL.”  

  • I also appreciate that it features a Black Puerto Rican artist, which offered me an opportunity to remind my children of the racial diversity in Puerto Rico (where their abuelita is from). 

For more great children’s books to help you honor Black History Month with your children, I suggest this list.

I hope you found this helpful and if you haven’t already attended one, I’d love to have you join the next anti-racist parenting workshop.