February 09, 2017

Celebrating Black History Month with your child

February is Black History Month. It’s an extraordinary celebration of one of our nation’s most vital cultures, and we encourage all parents to think about how they can honor the intention of this month their children. They will likely (hopefully!) be talking about this in school, and that is wonderful. But cultural education needs to happen at home too, to really show our children how important these issues and moments are, why they deserve our attention, and how to honor them in our day-to-day lives and beyond.

So how can you celebrate Black History Month with your children?

Take them to a museum. Find an exhibit or cultural opportunity in your area that is highlighting black lives, black artists, and black art. Go together as a family and make it a learning experience—perhaps the guided tour and all! The very best way to better understand someone and where they come from is to engage in their culture. End the experience with a shared discussion about what you learned.

Share a book together. Find a historical book celebrating a famous black icon — like Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Ella Fitzgerald, Malcolm X — and spend the month reading it together. Celebrate it as a book club and discuss the themes, issues, and hardships these individuals faced. Help your children understand the ways in which these individuals fought for civil rights, forever changing American history. This fabulous list of children’s book is good for the younger readers in your life.

Try a new cuisine! Food is the gateway to any culture, and it’s certainly a delicious way to explore one. Getting your kids in the kitchen with you will only broaden the discussion and make them feel more involved. Try a West African Peanut Soup or a homemade Ethiopian platter (or you can just go out for Ethiopian food, of course). The former is basically a soup made of peanut butter and the latter is a meal eaten entirely with your hands — that’s a win-win for both if you ask us.

Make it a movie night. There are plenty of kid-friendly films that celebrate black culture and offer education about its history. We love this all-inclusive list, for films that explore black history from a variety of angles.

The necessity and power of this month is more vital than ever — share with us on Facebook how you plan to celebrate Black History Month with your children!