Recommended Reading for Black History Month

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Black history is American history and is relevant to all students in the United States. Go beyond the textbook and find ways to teach students about the rich histories of Black Americans – not only their struggles, but also their great contributions and achievements. How will you bring this history into your classroom during February and all year round?

Recommended titles:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle Alexander

In The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, legal scholar Michelle Alexander details the history of mass incarceration in the United States. She argues that this system is a modern extension of Jim Crow, strengthening American society’s “racial caste system” and maintaining the oppression of Black communities.

Resources

Ain't Burned All the Bright book cover

Ain’t Burned All the Bright
Jason Reynolds, artwork by Jason Griffin

Written by award-winning author Jason Reynolds and beautifully illustrated by Jason Griffin, Ain’t Burned All the Bright is written from the perspective of a young Black person experiencing both the COVID-19 pandemic and the events of the George Floyd rebellion in summer 2020. 

Resources

The Fire Next Time book cover

The Fire Next Time
James Baldwin

This 1963 classic by James Baldwin consists of two essays: one in the form of a letter to Baldwin’s teenage nephew, and the other on the connection between race and religion. The Fire Next Time examines racial injustice and the Black experience in America.

Resources

Revolution in Our Time book cover

Revolution in Our Time
Kekla Magoon

Kekla Magoon’s award-winning book Revolution in Our Time introduces students to the Black Panther Party and all of its facets: its militancy, its focus on community organizing and activism, and its defense of human rights. 

Resources