This video was created for Black History Month in collaboration with City Teaching Alliance.

Black Teacher Voices

“Black history is American history.

Black history is world history.

I believe in the year-round approach.

As educators, we teach them about slavery, and then we teach them about civil rights, and I’m trying to do something different this year where we teach them about Black excellence.

Embracing my culture helps me also embrace theirs.

I’m always focused on what are the words of our elders that I can plant into the work that I do, that I can then share with my students that they can then go and plant and become better people in this world.

It’s all about the students. It’s about the children and what you can do for them and be able to empower them so that tomorrow they can be able to make a difference in other people’s lives.

How can you stay true to that curriculum based on the skills that they need to learn, but also stay true to the world that they live in?

Black history is not just about slavery. And it’s not just about the pain. It’s also about the fact that we were able to come out of it.

It helps them not only see themselves in the classroom, but as a leader in the future as well.

Just knowing that somebody who looks like them is able to get to that level, and celebrate them, let ’em know they can do it.

It’s my mission work, my purpose work, my way of giving back to my community. I want students to see themselves as anything they could imagine. I want them to believe.

A new student joined our classroom. He was shy coming in, and he was always sitting next to me — and one day he was just like, ‘I want to be a teacher one day.’ I had to go tell everyone because I can see my influence on him and seeing him be able to reflect and realize and notice that he can be something different from what he sees daily in his life, it changed my entire life.”

February is Black History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland and the United Kingdom during the month of October.

Throughout this month, we celebrate Black excellence, heritage, and tradition. Though it’s crucial to honor Black history all year long, Black History Month invites teachers to dig deeper, provide students with more context, and connect the past to the present in meaningful ways.

Thank you to the following City Teaching Alliance alumni and fellows for collaborating on this video:

Ja’El “Keyes” Keyes, teacher in Philadelphia, PA
Caleb Franklin, teacher in Washington, DC
Crystal Williams, teacher in Baltimore, MD
Tut Jikany, teacher in Dallas, TX

We are so grateful for your work, today and every day of the year.

About Black History Month

In the United States, Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event is the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans in the early 20th century. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.

Today, Black History Month gives educators the opportunity to dive even deeper into the contributions of African Americans.

Teacher Resources for Black History Month

The National Museum of African American History & Culture has a website dedicated to Black History Month, and the Library of Congress also maintains a list of resources for teachers to use during Black History Month.

More educational resources:
Black History Month Resource Guide for Educators and Families from the Center for Racial Justice in Education
Classroom resources for Black History Month from PBS
Free Learning Resources for Black History Month (And Beyond) from Common Sense Education
Lessons, activities, and videos from the National Education Association
Events, Exhibitions, Reading List, & Video and Audio Resources from NYC Public Schools

The mission of City Teaching Alliance is to improve educational and life outcomes of children in urban schools by preparing culturally competent, effective career teachers who accelerate student achievement and disrupt systems of racial and socioeconomic inequity. You can learn more here.