Honoring Black History Month

Today marks the first day of Black History Month. Black History Month was pioneered by Carter G. Woodson, a son of former slaves that went on to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. Through his studies he was disturbed that history books ignored the stories and achievements of Black Americans. To challenge this, he established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and developed Black History Week. It was the second week in February as this marks the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist and civil rights leader, and President Abraham Lincoln who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery in America's confederate states. Black History Week, has since developed into Black History Month, though we should celebrate Black history, stories and achievements every month of the year.

This year's Black History Month theme is: The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.

We wanted to honor Black History Month this year by sharing resources with you that you can share with your family and the children in your lives to start and continue conversations about Black history. Each week we will send recommendations for children’s books by Black authors, with Black protagonists and/or about Black history.

Today’s recommendation is, Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison. This book features 18 amazing iconic Black women from history such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, politician Shirley Chisholm, poet Maya Angelou, and chemist Alice Ball. You can purchase this book from Estelita’s, a local Black-owned social justice book store and library. Access their online book store via bookshop.org here. Please consider also purchasing a copy to donate to their free community library.

On Martin Luther King Day we launched a social justice children’s book drive to benefit Estelita's. We have book bins in our shops to collect donations of kid’s books written by BIPOC authors and/or starring BIPOC characters. We’re collecting these books throughout the month of February to help fill the shelves of Estelita’s second location opening soon!

The Conscious Kid is also an excellent resource. It is an education, research, and policy organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth. It supports organizations, families, and educators in taking action to disrupt racism in young children. Please visit theconsciouskid.org for more Black History Month resources and book recommendations for school-aged kids and their families!