Black History Month 2024

February is Black History Month!

“Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and festivities that honour the legacy of Black people in Canada and their communities.

The theme for Black History Month 2024 is Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build.

This theme represents both an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and a commitment to learning more about the stories Black communities in Canada have to tell about their histories, successes, sacrifices and triumphs.

No matter where you live, we invite all Canadians to learn more about these communities, and how they continue to help shape Canadian history.” (Source: Government of Canada)

Digital Resources:

BCTF Black History Month resources (links to curated collections, videos, book recommendations and more)
Digital Toolkit (Government of Canada, available in English & French)
BC Black History Awareness Society (includes links to learning resources and digital museum)

Event: Hip Hop Festival through the National Arts Centre Canada (January 31^st – February 10th)

Books: (Recommended by ARC Vancouver)

“The Other Side” by Jacqueline Woodson

“Let’s Talk About Race” by Julius Lester

“The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz

“Martin’s Big Words” by Doreen Rappaport

“The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson

“I Am Enough” by Grace Byers

“Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Peña

“Each Kindness” by Jacqueline Woodson

“Ruby Bridges Goes to School” by Ruby Bridges

Also by ARC Vancouver: Art and craft projects that promote unity and diversity:

Unity Handprints: Have students create handprints using different skin tone colors to symbolize diversity. Arrange them together to form a unity collage.

Unity Tree: Create a tree with a trunk and branches on a large piece of paper. Each student can add their handprints as leaves, representing their unique identity while being part of the same tree.

Unity Quilt: Let each student decorate a fabric square with drawings or messages of unity and diversity. Stitch these squares together to create a classroom quilt. To encourage students to express their thoughts and feelings about Black Shirt Day, inspire them to write poetry, create artwork, and write short essays or stories that reflect their understanding of unity, diversity, and anti-racism

Videos:

To celebrate Black History Month, we take a look at the long and storied history of Black British Columbians. Fran Morrison takes us from the earliest Black settlers to the enduring Black community of the present day. (Royal BC Museum)