Black History Always

PPS Office of Equity Celebrates Black History

Though February marks Black History Month as a month-long tribute, African American people have ALWAYS made significant and profound contributions to the United States of America and the rest of the world. Explore the biographies, events, videos and articles that celebrate the historical achievements of countless African Americans who've made a profound impact on our history.

A PROCLAMATION ON NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH, 2023

President Joe Biden on Monday marked the start of Black History Month with an official White House proclamation.

"...Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America — our faults, our struggles, our progress, and our aspirations."

THE HISTORY BEHIND BLACK HISTORY MONTH | LEARNING FOR JUSTICE

Although textbooks and other curricular materials are improving in their inclusion of under-represented groups, the reality remains that black history is still a largely neglected part of American history. Convincing proof of this notion is the virtual absence of information in textbooks about the founder of Black History Month himself, the African-American scholar Carter G. Woodson.

BLACK HISTORY AND HISTORIC SITES | VISIT PITTSBURGH

Black woman and man at The Point in Pittsburgh

Take a journey through more than 200 years of the Black experience in Southwestern Pennsylvania. One hundred sites of local, regional and national significance are represented in this first-ever tour guide of Black history in the region. The goal of this guide of Black historic sites in the region is to inform the public about the extensive history and also to draw attention to the need for preservation and reuse of many of the sites featured.

RISE UP, SING OUT ANIMATED MUSICAL SERIES

Rise Up, Sing Out title with animated images of 2 Black men and 6 children of different races

"Rise Up, Sing Out" is a Disney+ series of animated, music-based shorts that are designed to provide an inspiring and empowering message about race, culture, and community, celebrating differences, and providing a framework for conversation. The shorts feature music by Ahmir "Questlove" Thiomson and Tariqu "Black Thought" Trotter. Read more about it in Ebony Magazine's article Questlove and Black Thought Launch Short-Form Animated Musical Series 'Rise Up, Sing Out' by Rashad Grove.

TEACHING AND LEARNING | NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE

The Teaching and Learning Unit serves students and educators in grades 3-12 and strives to ignite critical thinking and creativity, generate self-pride, and inspire life-long learning for diverse audiences. Programs and resources explore stories of achievement, perseverance, and ingenuity across multiple disciplines with emphasis on history, the visual arts, and the fields of STEM.

AFRICAN AMERICAN INVENTORS TO REMEMBER THIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND BEYOND | OPRAH DAILY

From trailblazing activists to transcendent authors and stars of our favorite Netflix movies, Black culture permeates our everyday lives and is distinctly American.

Oprah Daily has gone as far back as the 1800s to highlight a handful of both famous and little-known African American inventors whose creations changed our world. From the Super Soaker to peanut butter to caller ID, here’s a little history to remember during February and beyond.

INTO AMERICA PODCAST: RECONSTRUCTED

MSNBC's Into America Podcast presents a new Black History series, Reconstructed. Into America is collaborating with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for a series on the legacy of Reconstruction.

Reconstructed: Birth of a Black Nation

Reconstructed: In Search of the Promised Land

Reconstructed: Keep the Faith, Baby

HERE'S WHY I TEACH BLACK HISTORY ALL YEAR LONG

"What if Black History Month was just the beginning of this learning, and we continued to discover the power and richness of Blacks in America and from around the world." writes PPS's very own Dr. Rhonda Threet in this education post blog post. Read and take in her powerful stories and passionate insight on the importance and impact of learning about Black History all year long.

THE HISTORY IS ON THE PLATE: DECONSTRUCTING AFRICAN AMERICAN FOOD HISTORY

CLICK HERE and use passcode: 8C+ukPR! to view the Wednesday, February 23, 2022, Phipps Conservatory webinar presentation of The History Is On The Plate: Deconstructing African American Food History. At this special virtual event, Dr. Jessica B. Harris uses traditional stories, illustrations and history to discuss the importance of food in African American history and culture. Beginning with a traditional African American plate, the presentation focuses on eight plants important to African American cuisine: rice, corn, peanuts, okra, watermelon, chili peppers, leafy greens and sweet potatoes. Enjoy and be nourished!

BLACK HISTORY, BLACK FREEDOM & BLACK LOVE - MASTERCLASS

Black scholars: Jelani Cobb John McWorter Angela Davis Kimberle Crenshaw Cornell West, Sherrilyn Ifill Nikole Hannah Jones

As part of the $2 million commitment at MasterClass to make content that inspires and educates on social justice and against systemic racism, for the first-time ever an entire class will be available to stream for free. The three-part class, Black History, Black Freedom and Black Love will be freely available on MasterClass.com during Black History Month. MasterClass has also teamed up with Amazon to make the class available to stream for free on IMDb TV and available for all U.S. Prime Members on Prime Video.

MICROSOFT LEGACY PROJECT: VIRTUAL BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM

Microsoft is marking Black History Month by relaunching its Legacy Project, a free "virtual museum" available year-round for K-12 schools and communities that honors Black and African American history and urges commitment to changing the future. The museum has expanded its scope to include new industries and innovators, as well as African and Canadian history. One new expansion is a digital re-creation and tour of early-20th-century Black Wall Street before and after the 1920 Tulsa Massacre.

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE SPEAKERS BUREAU | BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Ta’Nehisi Coates, Ibram X. Kendi, Isabel Wilkerson and other motivational authors and speakers discuss some of the most crucial topics relating to the Black American experience, including identity, inequality, national history, and popular culture. Click on the author’s picture to find biographies, topics, videos, praise, books and media.

CONNECT QUIZZES | PBS BLACK CULTURE CONNECTION

Explore PBS Black Culture Connection and test your knowledge of Black History & Culture with a Quiz! Pick from the list to check out some of our favorite quizzes across PBS.