Black History Month
Black History Month takes place every February and pays tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.
As part of our annual Black History Month celebrations, Schermerhorn students and staff came together for an interactive Rhythm Connection performance by the Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation. Located in Brooklyn, the Foundation is "devoted to sharing the real cultural history of Africa and its rich arts culture." A video compilation of their February 2024 performance is below.
This performance was part of our Student Wellness Works Program, made possible through a generous grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. Named after a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation funds programs and initiatives across New York State that either provide direct healthcare services or address the social determinants of health. For more information, visit https://www.cabrinihealth.org/.
To learn more about our Student Wellness Works Program, follow this link: www.nyise.org/studentwellnessworks/.
Lifelong Learning
To join our students in learning more about Black History Month and artists and organizations whose work celebrates African and African American culture and traditions, we invite you to explore the organizations and resources in the drop-down menus below. For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization's website.
Kids, Teens, and Families
For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization’s website.
History Channel: Black History Month Online Collection: https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month
National Geographic: 1963 March on Washington: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/march-on-washington
National Geographic: Black History Month: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/black-history-month
National Geographic: Katherine Johnson (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4j_LpKzcZQ
National Space Centre (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW2ytmzqgSQ
New York Botanic Garden: https://www.nybg.org/event/black-history-month-2024/
New York City Department of Education, Black History Month Educational Resources, Civics for All: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/subjects/civics-for-all/black-history-month
New York City Department of Education, Black History Month Educational Resources, Social Studies: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/subjects/social-studies/black-history-month
PBS Kids: Black History Month: https://www.pbs.org/parents/black-history-month
PBS: Celebrating Black History with Children’s Books by Black Authors: https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/celebrating-black-history-with-childrens-books-by-black-authors
PBS Kids: Black History Month (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f00AatzvxC0
Scholastic: Remarkable Books for Black History Month: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/books-celebrate-black-history-month.html
Stepping Performers: Celebrate Soulfully, Black History Month at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZZyFwTuaws
A Proclamation on National Black History Month, 2024: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/01/31/a-proclamation-on-national-black-history-month-2024/
Dance
For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization's website.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: https://www.alvinailey.org/
Camille A. Brown: https://www.camilleabrown.org/camille
Cumbe (Center for African and Diaspora Dance): https://cumbedance.org/andoche-loubaki
Dance Theater of Harlem: https://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrJT_jbSh9gIVW_LjBx2pGA-BEAAYAiAAEgInsfD_BwE
EVIDENCE, A Dance Company: https://www.evidencedance.com/
Garth Fagan Dance: https://www.garthfagan-dance.org/
Urban Bush Women: https://www.urbanbushwomen.org/
Literature
For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization's website.
Center for Black Literature: https://centerforblackliterature.org/
Hachette Book Group: Black History Month Reads: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/landing-page/books-for-black-history-month/
Library of Congress: Black History Month: https://blackhistorymonth.gov
Library of Congress: Celebrate African American History Month: http://cdn.loc.gov/project/lcnet/BlackHistory/
National Braille Press: Print and braille books by Black authors and artists and/or featuring Black characters: https://blog.nbp.org/blog/february-is-black-history-month-0
PEN America: Black Literature: https://pen.org/black-literature-past-present-and-future-reading-list/
Penguin Random House: Black Stories Have Power: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/cc/black-history-month
Museums and Gardens
For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization's website.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden: https://www.bbg.org/
Museum of the History of New York: https://www.mcny.org/black-activists-19th-century-nyc?
gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5Kyspaqh9gIVTv_jBx2O_A93EAAYASAAEgI11_D_BwE
New York Botanic Garden: https://www.nybg.org/event/black-history-month-2024/
New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://washington.org/visit-dc/guide-to-smithsonian-national-museum-african-american-history-culture#
Weeksville Heritage Center: https://www.weeksvillesociety.org/
Music
For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization's website.
Jazz at Lincoln Center: https://jazz.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiArfauBhApEiwAeoB7qNxeJCV05N0obxYnOhDLeKL_g7k8pIkcEvlD16Y7XubWgQsKo6AG2xoCczQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Louise Armstrong House Museum: https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/
National Jazz Museum in Harlem: https://jmih.org/
National Museum of African American Music: https://www.nmaam.org/
Science and Technology
For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization's website.
African American Pioneers of Science: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/black-inventors-and-pioneers-of-science
Biography Channel: Famous Black Scientists: https://www.biography.com/people/groups/black-scientists
NASA: Black History Month: https://www.nasa.gov/subject/13465/black-history-month/
MIT: Black History: https://www.blackhistory.mit.edu/story/nasa-figures
Science Buddies: Learn More About These 32 Scientists for Black History Month: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/black-history-month-scientists
Visual Arts
For ease of screen readers, resource and organization names are listed below alphabetically, followed by a link to the resource or organization's website.
African American Art: A History: https://www.oxfordartonline.com/page/african-american-art
Biography: 10 Visual Artists Who Broke Barriers: https://www.biography.com/news/jean-michael-basquiat-black-artists
Bronx Museum: https://bronxmuseum.org/exhibitions/
Brooklyn Museum: https://my.brooklynmuseum.org/events
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art: https://mocada.org/about/
Newark Museum of Art: https://newarkmuseumart.org/
New Museum: Faith Ringgold: https://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/faith-ringgold-american-people
Studio Museum: https://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions-and-events