Black History Month Resources for Music Educators

As most people know, February is Black History Month. The beginning of February usually marks the time when music teachers honor Black musicians, artists, and people. In more and more classrooms across America, teachers have branched away from the very white-centric versions of history to teach curriculums with more BIPOC, LGBTQ, and non-neurotypical representation throughout the year, and not just in the month that is given the special title. 

When the celebrated months like Black History Month roll around, it’s a reminder to give some extra focus. It’s not meant to be the ONLY month to pay attention to Black history, because that should be incorporated year round. 

For this blog, I wanted to share some of my favorite articles that are about Black History Month that are helpful for educators, and hopefully it will give you ideas that you can incorporate for Black History Month AND year-round.

Article 1: 

Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History- Teaching Tolerance

This article is full of simple, actionable advice. My favorite DO from the article? “Do reinforce that ‘black’ history is American history”. The more students hear this from their teachers at all grade levels, the less likely it is they will grow up with the split view of history that too many adults did.

My favorite DON’T? “Don’t talk about black history in solely ‘feel-good’ language, or as a thing of the past”. Especially in the music world, it’s easy to focus on the feel-good aspects of the artists we teach about. It’s important to give context to the lives those artists dealt with. 

If you want to read more, check out the rest of the article here https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/dos-and-donts-of-teaching-black-history 

Article 2:

‘Black Season’ at My White Middle School-by Baratunde Thurston

This article is an interesting narrative into the point that teaching black history as a part of the regular curriculum is important. The student in the story shares from their middle school days and what they called “black season”, the stretch of time between MLK Day and the end of February, and the complex emotions it pulled forth in them. This is a great one to help reflect on whether ‘black season’ is something that happens at your school.

To read the article, check it out at this link- https://www.shondaland.com/live/a14927441/black-season-at-my-white-middle-school/

Article 3: 

The Black Girl Pushout- Melinda D. Anderson

This article is an interview with Monique W. Morris, the author of the book Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. The interview (and the book) discuss the aspects of schooling and society that are discriminating towards black girls. Black girls face stigmas in school and receive punishment at higher rates than their white classmates. This is just a small part of what they discuss in the article. This one is an important read for educators as you look at your classroom management and reflect on how your implicits biases influence your strategies.

To read more, check it out at this link here. 
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/the-criminalization-of-black-girls-in-schools/473718/

Article 4:

Black LGBTQ History: Teachers Must Do a Better Job- by Henry Cody Miller

Intersectionality plays a huge part in history, and the intersection of LGBTQ with blackness is a hugely important part of history. This article is a quick read and covers the surface of how teaching black history is not a one-size-fits-all approach and needs to include all aspects of black history, including LGBTQ. These intersections are important to address in a classroom setting, because it reflects the lives of the beautiful diversity of the students you teach.

To learn more, check out this link- https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/black-lgbtq-history-teachers-must-do-a-better-job 

Article 5: 

Let’s talk about phenotype and global Blackness-by the Black Youth Project

This article explores the differences between phenotypes, genotypes, and race and how they all play into the complex social experience of people who fall under the Afro-Latinx umbrella. As the article highlights, people’s heritages are complex and depending what country you are in, people treat you differently based on their perceptions of your heritage. This article is a must-read!

Check out this quick read at this link. http://blackyouthproject.com/lets-talk-phenotype-global-blackness/?utm_campaign=crowdfire&utm_content=crowdfire&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter#66464745-tw#1515780425781 

These five articles are just a small splash in the ocean of books, articles, and videos to help you be a better teacher for Black History Month, and all the months after that (because black history IS American History). Unless you are retiring tomorrow, there will be time and opportunities to make your teaching full of diverse experiences for your students. Take the time to read and learn to help build the safe, inclusive, and interesting classroom you strive to keep.

If you want even more to read, I encourage you to go to this page for the Black History Month Resource Guide for Educators and Families. I sourced these five articles from this resource guide and shared some of my favorites, which was so hard because it has over 50 articles that are great resources for teachers. Please go check it out because it is 100% worth your time, and it’s worth it for your students.