Free Resources to Celebrate Black History Month
Celebrate Black History Month with meaningful lessons that inspire and educate! Kids Discover invites you to explore the stories of perseverance, progress, and empowerment that define African American history. With our Historical Figures and Civil Rights Units, plus a new video on Defining Civil Rights, you’ll help students honor these remarkable contributions and their lasting impact.
Aretha Franklin
It may be a performance on the big screen. A video on a small screen. A soundtrack pulsing from the device in your hand to the buds in your ears. There are many ways to experience the sounds of Aretha Franklin.
Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman wasn’t born with a dream, but she had determination. And it was that determination that guided her decisions just as soon as she was old enough to make them for herself.
Curtis Mayfield
If there were ever an artist who refused to give up in the face of catastrophe, it would be Curtis Mayfield. He was a singer, songwriter, music innovator, producer, businessperson, and keen observer of his world.
George Washington Carver
If you remember George Washington Carver as someone who was all about peanuts, you are in for a surprise. Orphaned as an infant, Carver grew up to become an agent of change, improving the lives of poor sharecroppers.
Jackie Robinson
The groundbreaking life of baseball hero Jackie Robinson, for kids, is covered in dynamic detail here, from his early days in Georgia to his star turn as a Brooklyn Dodger – and the first black player in the big leagues.
Madam C.J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker's parents were sharecroppers. She was orphaned at seven, married at 14, and employed as a maid and washerwoman. Was it stress that caused her to begin losing her hair in her twenties?
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou gifted the world with verses that sing of strength, courage, and the indomitable spirit. Her words resonate across generations, leaving an enduring legacy.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. preached love and believed nonviolent protest was the only way to freedom and equality for black Americans, and in return for his vision of peace he was arrested, and finally assassinated.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles could hear the sounds of piano keys, but by the time he was seven years old, he couldn’t see the keys. He learned to play the instrument and get around so well that many people didn’t believe he was blind.
Muhammad Ali
Follow a journey through Ali’s life, beginning when he was a youngster named Cassius Clay whose bike had been stolen. Reporting the theft led him to discover boxing, and set him on a course that would bring him fame.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks had endured prejudice, bigotry, and injustice all her life. She knew this was unfair and unjust. What made it worse was that there were laws that supported the unjust treatment of black people.
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph didn’t have a long life, but she spent much of it teaching, standing up for justice, and serving others. First and foremost, though, she was a child sick with polio who grew up to be an Olympic gold medalist.
