African American
Teaching Activity PDFs
The Color Line
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 6 pages.
A lesson on the countless colonial laws enacted to create division and inequality based on race. This helps students understand the origins of racism in the United States and who benefits.
African American, Laws & Citizen Rights, Native American, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery
Presidents and Slaves: Helping Students Find the Truth
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bob Peterson. 7 pages.
How a 5th grade teacher and his students conducted research to answer the question: “Which presidents owned people?”
African American, Education, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery
‘If There Is No Struggle…’: Teaching a People’s History of the Abolition Movement
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 16 pages.
A role play putting students in the position of abolitionist groups working together to end slavery.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery
Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 7 pages.
A lesson to introduce students to the numerous and varied ways African Americans resisted their enslavement, using the autobiographical Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, published in 1845.
Reading Between the Lines: An Art Contest Helps Students Imagine the Lives of Runaway Slaves
Teaching Activity PDF. By Thom Thacker and Michael A. Lord. 4 pages.
An art contest is used as the basis from which students can examine primary historical documents (advertisements for runaway slaves) to gain a deeper understanding of the institution of slavery in the North.
Reclaiming Hidden History: Students Create a Slavery Walking Tour in Manhattan
Teaching Activity PDF. By Alan Singer. 7 pages.
How a teacher and his students organized a tour of the hidden history of slavery in New York.
The Election of 1860 Role Play
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 12 pages.
Role play based on the election of 1860 allows students to explore the political debates of the time and the real reasons for the Civil War.
African American, Slavery, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
A War to Free the Slaves?
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 7 pages.
Students examine excerpts from Lincoln’s first inaugural address, the rarely mentioned original Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that Lincoln promised to support, and the Emancipation Proclamation to explore some of the myths about the Civil War.
African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery
Who Freed the Slaves?
Student Handout in PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 2 pages.
This timeline can be used as a resource for lessons on the Civil War, President Lincoln, the 54th Regiment, and the end of slavery.
African American, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union: Black and White Unite?
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 12 pages.
Role play on farm labor organizing in the 1930s shows how racism had to be challenged to create effective worker alliances.
African American, Labor, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
Warriors Don’t Cry: Connecting History, Literature, and Our Lives
Teaching Activity PDF. By Linda Christensen. 21 pages.
Role play and writing activities for language arts and social studies on the Little Rock Nine, Brown v. Board, and schooling in general. Designed for use with the memoir, Warriors Don’t Cry.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Language Arts, Racism & Racial Identity
“A School Year Like No Other”: Eyes on the Prize: “Fighting Back: 1957-1962″
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 7 pages.
A companion lesson to the Eyes on the Prize segment on school integration.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Individuals in US History, Laws & Citizen Rights, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
“We Had Set Ourselves Free”: Lessons on the Civil Rights Movement
Teaching Activity PDF. By Doug Sherman. 4 pages.
The author describes how he uses biographies and film to introduce students to the role of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement beyond the familiar heroes. He emphasizes the role and experiences of young people in the Movement.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
Lessons in Solidarity: Grady Hospital Workers United
Teaching Activity PDF. By Larry Miller. 6 pages.
Story and discussion questions about a teacher’s own experience of labor solidarity.
‘What We Want, What We Believe’: Teaching with the Black Panthers’ Ten Point Program
Teaching Activity PDF. By Wayne Au. 7 pages.
The author describes how he used a study of the Black Panther’s Ten Point Program to help students assess issues in their own communities and to develop Ten Point Programs of their own.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
Five Years After the Levees Broke: Bearing Witness Through Poetry
Teaching Activity PDF. By Renée Watson. 7 pages.
A teacher’s reflection on the power of poetry to spark critical discussion and reflection on current issues of inequality surrounding disaster response in the United States.
African American, Art & Music, Environment & Food, Language Arts, Laws & Citizen Rights, Media, Racism & Racial Identity
The Black Upsurge Against Racial Segregation
Teaching Activity PDF. By Tasha Boettcher. 17 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 17 of Voices of a People’s History of the United States on the long Civil Rights Movement in America.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity, Social Class
Slavery and Defiance
Teaching Activity PDF. By Gayle Olson-Raymer. 17 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 9 of Voices of a People’s History of the United States on black and white resistance to slavery before the Civil War.
Teaching Guides
Freedom’s Unfinished Revolution: An Inquiry Into the Civil War and Reconstruction
Teaching Guide. By ASHP with foreword by Eric Foner. 1996. 302 pages.
Primary documents, essays and questions to teach the untold story of Reconstruction.
African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Racism & Racial Identity, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
Articles
Freedom’s Unfinished Revolution: Teaching a People’s History of Reconstruction
Background Reading for Teachers PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 4 pages.
A review of Freedom’s Unfinished Revolution, a collection of primary documents for high school on the Civil War and Reconstruction.
African American, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery
The Politics of Children’s Literature: What’s Wrong with the Rosa Parks Myth
Aritcle. By Herbert Kohl. 6 pages.
A critical analysis that challenges the myths in children’s books about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Women's History
Audio
Books: Fiction
Crow
Book – Fiction. By Barbarba Wright. 2012. 304 pages.
A Reconstruction era African American community violently loses its freedom in turn of the century North Carolina.
African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights, Media
Freedom School, Yes!
Book – Fiction. By Amy Littlesugar. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 2001. 40 pages.
Historical fiction for upper elementary about the 1964 Freedom Schools.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
The Great Migration: Journey to the North
Book – Fiction. By Eloise Greenfield. Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. 2011. 32 pages.
A picture book that introduces the historic story of the Great Migration to young readers.
No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller
Book – Fiction. By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Artwork by R. Gregory Christie. 2012. 188 pages. About the life of Lewis Micheaux, owner of the famous National Memorial African Bookstore.
One Crazy Summer
Book – Fiction. By Rita Williams-Garcia. 2010. 224 pages.
Chapter book for middle school introduces readers to the Black Panthers in 1960s Oakland.
The Rock and the River
Book – Fiction. By Kekla Magoon. 2010. 304 pages.
Coming-of-age story that shows the close connections between the civil rights and black power movements through an intimate and relatable lens.
Ruth and the Green Book
Book – Fiction. By Calvin Alexander Ramsey. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 2010. 32 pages.
Historical fiction for children about travels through the South during Jim Crow and the networks of support and services listed in The Green Book.
Scraps of Time 1928: A Song for Harlem
Book – Fiction. By Patricia C. McKissack. 2007. 108 pages.
Story for young readers about a 12-year-old girl’s education during the Harlem Renaissance with Zora Neale Hurston as her teacher.
Scraps of Time: Abby Takes a Stand, 1960
Book – Fiction. By Patricia McKissack. 2006. 112 pages. For ages 9+.
Historical fiction about the lunch counter sit-ins.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity, Social Class
A Thousand Never Evers
Book – Fiction. By Shana Burg. 2008. 320 pages.
Set in 1963 Mississippi, this historical fiction introduces middle/high school readers to the life at that time through the experiences of 12-year-old Addie Ann Pickett.
Books: Non-Fiction
African Americans and the Haitian Revolution: Selected Essays and Historical Documents
Book – Non-fiction. Edited by Maurice Jackson and Jacqueline Bacon. 2009. 259 pages.
This anthology connects the experience of African Americans and the Haitian revolution.
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America
Book – Non-fiction. By Lerone Bennett Jr. 1988. 736 pages.
A detailed history and analysis of African American history in the United States.
The Black Americans: A History in Their Own Words, 1619-1983
Book – Non-fiction. Edited by Milton Meltzer. 1987. 320 pages.
Engaging first person stories and primary documents.
The Black History of the White House
Book – Non-fiction. By Clarence Lusane. 2010. 544 pages.
The untold story of African Americans in the White House from the 18th century to the present, including the presidents who held people in bondage.
Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage
Book – Non-fiction. By William Loren Katz. 2012. 272 pages.
History book for ages 10 to adult that traces relations between Blacks and American Indians since the time of the conquest.
African American, Native American, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
Dangerous Memories: Invasion and Resistance Since 1492
Book – Nonfiction. By Golden, McConnell, Poppen, and Mue. 1991. 272 pages.
Essential text on U.S. history; includes many primary sources on people’s movements.
Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968
Book – Non-fiction. By Stephen Lawson and Charles Payne. 2006. 227 pages.
Introduces and examines the complex story of the modern Civil Rights Movement as it should be taught, providing key background information and analysis for teachers.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity
A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America
Book – Non-fiction. By Ronald Takaki. 2008. 560 pages.
A multicultural history of America, in the voices of Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and others.
African American, Asian American, Immigration, Labor, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, Social Class
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Book – Non-fiction. By Russell Freedman. 2006. 114 pages.
Written for middle school, the story of the bus boycott, in which Rosa Parks played a role but was not the sole hero.
Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories
Book – Non-fiction. By Ellen Levine. 1993. 192 pages.
Thirty African-Americans who were children during the 1950s and 1960s tell their true stories of what it was like for them to fight segregation in the South.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
Freedom’s Teacher: The Life of Septima Clark
Book – Non-fiction. By Katherine Mellen Charron. 2009. 480 pages.
Biography of Septima Clark who played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement through education.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Women's History
Growing Up in Slavery: Stories of Young Slaves as Told by Themselves
Book – Non-fiction. Edited by Yuval Taylor. 2005. 230 pages.
Ten individuals tell stories of their childhood and teenage years in slavery.
Howard Zinn on Race
Book – Non-fiction. 2011. By Howard Zinn. Introduction by Cornel West. 192 pages. Includes some never before published writings, speeches and interviews that illustrate the evolution and fundamental prinicples around the story of race in the United States.
African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Racism & Racial Identity
Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism, 1883-1918
Book – Nonfiction. By Jeffrey B. Perry. 2009. 624 pages.
Biography of scholar and activist Hubert Harrison.
I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters
Book – Non-fiction. Edited by Michael G. Long. By Bayard Rustin. Foreword by Julian Bond. 2012. 276 pages.
The story of the behind-the-scenes strategist, organizer, and advocate of non-violence, Bayard Rustin.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, LGBT, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle
Book – Non-fiction. By Charles M. Payne. 1995. 506 pages.
The people’s history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Organizing
The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World
Book – Non-fiction. By John Carlos and Dave Zirin. Foreword by Cornel West. 2011. 220 pages.
Written for grades 7+, this biography of John Carlos recounts his childhood, his legendary act of courage at the ’68 Olympics, and the backlash.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Racism & Racial Identity, Sports
John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement
Book – Non-fiction. By Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson. Illustrated by Benny Andrews. 2006. 32 pages.
The life of Civil Rights Movement activist and now Congressman, John Lewis.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Individuals in US History
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Book – Non-fiction. By Andrea Davis Pinkney. 2000. 120 pages.
Mini-biographies of ten African-American women for upper elementary and middle school.
A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter
Book – Non-fiction. By Patricia & Fredrick McKissack. 1995. 160 pages.
A true story of the history of this powerful union effort by the African American porters.
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention
Book – Non-fiction. By Manning Marable. 2011. 608 pages.
A biographical account of Malcolm X.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Racism & Racial Identity
Muhammad Ali Handbook
Book – Non-fiction. By Dave Zirin. 2007. 431 pages.
A journey through Muhammad Ali’s sports, religious, and political journey including his involvement in anti-Vietnam war protest and the Civil Rights Movement.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Written by Himself: A New Critical Edition by Angela Y. Davis
Book – Non-fiction. By Frederick Douglass and essays by Angela Davis. 2009. 254 pages.
The classic biography of Frederick Douglass with an introduction and critical analysis by Angela Davis
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Book – Non-Fiction. By Michelle Alexander. 2010. 290 pages.
A critical analysis of the role the justice system plays in the oppression of African Americans in the United States.
African American, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity
Nobody Gonna Turn Me ‘Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement
Book – Non-fiction. By Doreen Rappaport. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. 2008. 64 pages.
Stories and songs for upper elementary from the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1965.
African American, Art & Music, Civil Rights Movements, Labor, Organizing
On the Road to Freedom: A Guided Tour of the Civil Rights Trail
Book – Non-fiction. By Charles E. Cobb, Jr. 2008. 388 pages. High School and Adult.
An educational travel guide to historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement.
A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present
Book – Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005. 702 pages.
Howard Zinn’s groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details the lives and facts that are rarely included in textbooks — an indispensable teacher and student resource.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Economics, Education, Immigration, Imperialism, Labor, Laws & Citizen Rights, Native American, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery, Social Class, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements, Women's History
The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language, and the Education of African-American Children
Book – Non-fiction. Edited by Theresa Perry and Lisa Delpit. 1998. 227 pages.
Educators, linguists, writers, and students examine the lessons of the 1966 Oakland Ebonics controversy.
Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South
Book – Non-fiction (with CD). Edited by William H. Chafe, Raymond Gavins and Robert Korstad. 2008. 346 pages.
African American, Individuals in US History, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity, Social Class
Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson
Book – Non-fiction. By Blair L.M. Kelley. 2010. 280 pages.
Examines acts of protest and resistance to segregated trains and streetcars during the early Jim Crow era.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship
Robeson in Spain
Book – Non-fiction. By The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. 2009. 25 pages.
Booklet in graphic novel format on Paul Robeson’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War.
African American, Art & Music, Racism & Racial Identity, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements, World History/Global Studies
A Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black Women in America
Book – Nonfiction. By Darlene Clark Hine and Kathleen Thompson. 1999.
An inspiring narrative of the role of Black women in shaping US History.
Silver Rights
Book – Non-fiction. By Constance Curry. Introduction by Marian Wright Edelman. 1996. 288 pages.
The true story of the Carter family’s decision to send their children to an all-white school.
Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America’s Struggle for Equality
Book – Non-fiction. By Richard Kluger. 2004. 880 pages.
One of the first texts, now a classic, on Brown v. Board.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity
SNCC: The New Abolitionists
Book – Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2002. 286 pages.
A detailed history of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson
Book – Nonfiction. By Michelle Y. Green. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. 2004. 128 pages.
A biography on one of only three women to play baseball in the Negro Leagues.
Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism
Book – Non-fiction. By James Loewen. 2005. 562 pages.
Documents the history of towns across the United States that exclude African Americans (and other racial/ethnic groups) after sundown.
Teach Freedom: Education for Liberation in the African-American Tradition
Book – Non-fiction. Edited by Charles M. Payne and Carol Sills Strickland. Foreword by Charles E. Cobb Jr. 2008. 304 pages.
Documents the history of the use of education as a tool of collective liberation by African Americans.
To Make Our World Anew: A History of African Americans
Book – Non-fiction. Edited by Robin D. G. Kelley and Earl Lewis. 2005.
Comprehensive history of African Americans.
Undaunted By The Fight: Spelman College And The Civil Rights Movement, 1957-1967
Book – Non-fiction. By Harry G. Lefever. 2005. 304 pages.
The story of Spelman College students and faculty engagement in the Civil Rights Movement from 1957 to 1967.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Women's History
Vietnam: An Antiwar Comic Book
Book – Non-fiction. by Julian Bond and illustrated by T. G. Lewis. 1967. 19 pages.
A detailed history and analysis of the Vietnam War in an easy to read format.
African American, Racism & Racial Identity, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America
Book – Non-fiction. By Peniel E. Joseph. 2007. 432 pages.
A narrative history of the Black Power Movement.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
Book – Non-fiction. By Isabel Wilkerson. 2010. 640 pages.
The story of the great migration told through in-depth descriptions of three families.
Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Senior High
Book – Non-fiction. By Melba Pattillo Beals. 2007. 336 pages.
Story of a teenage girl chosen to integrate Little Rock High School.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Individuals in US History, Organizing
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Book – Non-fiction. By Kadir Nelson. 2008. 96 pages.
The story of Negro League baseball, in text and stunning imagery.
We Shall Overcome: A Song That Changed the World
Book – Non-fiction. By Stuart Stotts. Illustrated by Terrance Cummings. 2010. 64 pages and a CD.
History of the song from the Civil Rights Movement and other struggles, We Shall Overcome.
African American, Art & Music, Civil Rights Movements, Individuals in US History, Organizing
Films
10,000 Black Men Named George
Film. By Robert Townsend. 2002. 89 minutes.
Docudrama about A. Philip Randolph and The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first Black Union in America.
African American, Individuals in US History, Labor, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
At the River I Stand
Film. Directed by David Appleby, Allison Graham and Steven Ross. 1993. 58 min.
Documentary on the African American sanitation workers’ 1968 fight for human dignity and a living wage in Memphis.
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
DVD. Produced by Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer. 2002. 83 minutes.
Documentary about the life of peace, labor, and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Labor, LGBT, Organizing
Chisholm ’72 – Unbought and Unbossed
DVD. By Shola Lynch. 2004. 76 min.
Documentary about Brooklyn Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and her campaign to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 1972.
Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock
Film. Directed by Sharon LaCruise. 2011.
Documentary on the life of Daisy Bates, best know for her role with the Little Rock Nine.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Laws & Citizen Rights, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity, Women's History
February One
Film. Produced by Dr. Steven Channing. 2004. 61 min.
February One tells the story surrounding the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins.
Frederick Douglass: “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”
Film clip. Frederick Douglass “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” (1851) is read by Danny Glover. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Racism & Racial Identity
Freedom Song
Film. By Phil Alden Robinson. 2006. 117 min.
Based on the actual history of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), student activism, and voter registration in McComb, Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement.
Henry McNeal Turner: “Eligibility of Colored Members to Seats in the Georgia Legislature.”
Film clip. Henry McNeal Turner’s “Eligibility of Colored Members to Seats in the Georgia Legislature” (1968), read by Danny Glover. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights, Slavery
John Lewis: “Original Text to be Delivered at the Lincoln Memorial”
John Lewis’ “Original Text of Speech to be Delivered at the Lincoln Memorial” (1963) read by Brian Jones. From Voices of People’s History of the United States.
June Jordan: “Speech Against the Gulf War”
June Jordan’s “Speech Against the Gulf War” (1991) read by Kathleen Chalfant. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
African American, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements, Women's History
The Killing Floor
Film. Directed by Bill Duke. 1985. 118 minutes.
Set during World War I, two African-American men deal with racism in the workplace and the labor union.
African American, Labor, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
Langston Hughes: “Ballad of Roosevelt.”
Film clip. Langston Hughes’ “Ballad of Roosevelt” (1934), read by Danny Glover. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
Langston Hughes: “Montage of a Dream Deferred”
Langston Hughes, “Montage of a Dream Deferred” (1951) is read by Danny Glover. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
Malcolm X: “Message to the Grass Roots”
Film clip.
Malcolm X, “Message to the Grass Roots” (1963), read by Mos Def. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship
Maria Stewart: Address Delivered at the African Masonic Hall
Film clip. From Voice of a People’s History of the United States. 3:41 minutes.
Maria Stewart’s “Address Delivered at the African Masonic Hall” (1833) is read by Alfre Woodard.
The North Star: “The War with Mexico”
Benjamin Bratt reads from The North Star, “The War with Mexico” (1848). From Voices of a People’s History in the United States.
Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports
Film. By Dave Zirin and Jeremy Earp. 2010. 62 minutes.
Film documentary for 6th grade to adult based on the bestselling book “A People’s History of Sports in the United States.”
African American, Media, Racism & Racial Identity, Sports, Women's History
Parent Power
Film. Produced by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown Univ. 2011. 35 minutes.
A documentary about parents in the Bronx who organized to bring high-quality education to their neighborhood.
African American, Education, Latino, Organizing, Social Class
The Road to Brown
Film. Producer/Director/Writer: William Elwood. 56 min. 1990.
The little known story of Charles Hamilton Houston who paved the road to Brown v. Board.
African American, Education, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity
Ruby Bridges
Film. Directed by Euzhan Palcy. 1998. 96 minutes.
The true story of Ruby Bridges, the six year old girl who helped to integrate the all-white schools in New Orleans.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity
Sam Cooke: A Change is Gonna Come
Film clip. Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” (1964), is performed by Allison Moorer. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
African American, Art & Music, Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights
Scandalize My Name
Film. 2000. 60 minutes.
Documentary about the impact of the McCarthy era on African Americans in the film industry.
African American, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968
DVD. Produced by Judy Richardson and Bestor Cram. 2009. 57 minutes.
A documentary film that brings to light the story of the attack by state police on a demonstration in Orangeburg, South Carolina — leaving three students killed and 28 injured.
Sing Your Song: What good is a conscience if it is not awakened
Film. Directed by Susanne Rostock. 2011.104 minutes.
A biographical documentary that surveys the life and times of performer/activist Harry Belafonte.
African American, Art & Music, Civil Rights Movements, Racism & Racial Identity
Teaching About the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Film. By Teaching for Change. 2006. 15 min.
First grade teacher Maggie Donovan (SNCC veteran) introduces her students to the fight to desegregate the buses, placing Rosa Parks in the context of the larger community efforts.
Picture Books
Freedom School, Yes!
Book – Fiction. By Amy Littlesugar. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 2001. 40 pages.
Historical fiction for upper elementary about the 1964 Freedom Schools.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Education, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement
Book – Non-fiction. By Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson. Illustrated by Benny Andrews. 2006. 32 pages.
The life of Civil Rights Movement activist and now Congressman, John Lewis.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Individuals in US History
Nobody Gonna Turn Me ‘Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement
Book – Non-fiction. By Doreen Rappaport. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. 2008. 64 pages.
Stories and songs for upper elementary from the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1965.
African American, Art & Music, Civil Rights Movements, Labor, Organizing
Ruth and the Green Book
Book – Fiction. By Calvin Alexander Ramsey. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 2010. 32 pages.
Historical fiction for children about travels through the South during Jim Crow and the networks of support and services listed in The Green Book.
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Book – Non-fiction. By Kadir Nelson. 2008. 96 pages.
The story of Negro League baseball, in text and stunning imagery.
Posters
Flint Sit-Down Strike
Poster. By Dylan Miner. 11″ x 17″. 2-color offset printed.
Informational poster about Roscoe Van Zandt and the Flint Sit-In strike.
Women of Hope Poster Set: African American + Study Guide
Poster.
African American, Individuals in US History, Women's History
Profiles
Murray, Pauli: Fighting Jane Crow
Article. By Paula Giddings, The Nation, May 23, 1987.
Review of Pauli Murray’s autobiography, Song in a Weary Throat: An American Pilgrimage (Harper & Row).
Parsons, Lucy Gonzales
Profile. Lucy Gonzales Parsons, Labor organizer, Orator, 1853–1942. By William Loren Katz.
Songs and Poems
Langston Hughes: “Montage of a Dream Deferred”
Langston Hughes, “Montage of a Dream Deferred” (1951) is read by Danny Glover. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
Websites
African American Involvement in the Vietnam War
Website.
Resources by and about African-Americans’ contributions in the Vietnam War, from the perspectives of those who served in the war to those who protested the war.
African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Racism & Racial Identity, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
Website. A companion to the PBS films series of the same title.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Website.
Center for the study and promotion of the histories and cultures of peoples of African descent.
African American, Art & Music, Education, World History/Global Studies
Voices of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Website.
Video interviews & articles telling the first hand stories of 27 individuals who participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Civil Rights Movement.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights
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