NEWS

News | March 3, 2020

Explore Beyond Rosa Parks

For many people, Black History Month is a time in elementary school to briefly review the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. After that, what else is there to do? It’s important to note that it is not enough to only take the time to learn about Black history during the month of February. As Black History Month comes to a close, here are some resources to continue learning about Black history.

People

Does the name Tarana Burke ring a bell? How about Garrett Morgan? There are so many people in Black history that have not received enough recognition for the work they have done. Use these links to learn all about people of the past and present.

https://www.biography.com/tag/black-history

Black Authors: https://www.biography.com/news/maya-angelou-best-selling-black-authors

Black Women in STEM: https://www.vibe.com/2020/02/7-black-women-pioneers-in-stem

Women of Fire, Black women firefighters: https://www.aaffmuseum.org/woman-of-fire/

History and Culture

There are several aspects of Black history that are not taught to us in school. Black history didn’t start with slavery and it didn’t end with the civil rights movement. Use these links to learn about other parts of Black history:

Historically Black Colleges and Universities: https://www.britannica.com/topic/historically-black-colleges-and-universities

NAACP: https://www.naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/

(At the bottom of this page, you can learn about civil rights leaders beyond Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.)

404th Armed Service Forces: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/seventy-five-years-ago-militarys-only-all-black-female-band-won-victory-against-war-department-180971815/

Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

Little Known Facts: http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/10-black-history-little-known-facts/

Arts and Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/project/black-history-and-culture

As of Feb. 26, 2020, lynching became a federal crime: https://www.npr.org/2020/02/26/809705702/it-s-about-time-house-approves-historic-bill-making-lynching-a-federal-crime

 

Local Black History

Black history happened right here in Omaha too!

Great Plains Black History Museum: https://gpblackhistorymuseum.org/

North Omaha: https://northomahahistory.com/articles-2/

 

Learning about Black history is not exclusive to Black people. Be intentional about what books you read, movies you watch and content you take in. When everyone takes the time learn more about each other, we create an environment that brings us closer together and reduces misunderstanding.