BLACKHISTORYMONTH

The Future is Now (Canada)Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity (USA)

What is Black History Month?

And why is it important?

Black History Month

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Black History Month

OriginFrom 1976 onwards, every US president

dedicated February as Black History Month. Canada and the United Kingdom also

followed.

Black individuals that have made an impact

The Voices for many Generations

ACTORS

Cicely Tyson● African-American actress and model who quit her

typing job at the age of 18 to pursue her career.

● On an episode of “Between Yesterday and Today”

Tyson was the first black woman to wear her hair

naturally on TV in 1962

Hattie McDaniel● Famous in the 20’s to 50’s

● Actress, singer, songwriter and comedian

● First black individual to win an Oscar (Best

supporting actress for her role in “Mammy” in

the movie Gone with the Wind)

WRITERS

Frederick Douglass● An escaped slave who became an Amercian

Abolitionist and worked to abolish slavery

through his spoken and written pieces

● Check out: “My Bondage and My Freedom”

Maya Angelou● American poet, memoirist, and an award-winning

author whose autobiographies, essays and poetry

explore themes of economic, racial, and sexual

oppression.

● Check out: “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”

Check out the link at the end of the slideshow for more!

ATHLETES

Serena Williams●

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Jackie Robinson●

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ACTIVISTS

Fannie Lou Hamer● Voting and women’s rights activist in America and a leader in the civil rights

movement (1954-1968)

● In 1961 she received a hysterectomy from a white doctor without consent.

This was done to reduce the population of black people.

● Co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. In the democratic

national convention she actually was on a live televised broadcast where she

told millions of people about the struggles of voting as a black person

Dudley Laws

● Canadian civil rights activist

● Created the Black Action Defence Committee after

the police shooting of Lester Donaldson in Toronto

(Also because of the abnormal number of black

men being shot by the police)

FILMMAKERS

Oprah Winfrey●

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HISTORICAL FIGURES

● An African-American woman who had (and died from) cervical

cancer

● Doctors took samples of her cancer cells (when she went for a

check-up) without her knowledge

● The source for the first immortalized human cell line (HeLa cell

line) - one of the most important in medical research

● Vital for developing polio vaccine, gene mapping, and MUCH more

Henrietta Lacks Madam C.J. Walker● A philanthropist and entrepreneur

● Born to former slaves and sharecroppers and

orphaned at 7 years old

● Invented African-American hair care products in

1905 that led her to become America’s first female

self-made millionaires

POLITICIANS

Jean Augustine● First black woman to be elected to parliament in Canada

during the 1993 federal election

● First black woman in Cabinet (2002)

● She was the MP that introduced the motion of dedicating

February as Black History Month in Canada (1995)

Kamala Harris● First Black woman to be elected as district attorney in

the city of San Francisco (2004-2010)

● 49th (current) Vice President of the United States of

America

● First African-American and Asian-America Vice

President

ARTISTS

Kara Walker

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Gordon Parks

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INVENTORS

Alice H. Parker

Giving credit where deserved.

● Patented the central heating furnace design

in 1919 that used natural gas for the first time to

heat up homes

● Inspired by the limited efficiency and pollution

of fireplaces

Marie Van Brittan Brown● A full-time nurse

● Created the first home security system in 1966 when she

felt unsafe due to crimes in her neighborhood

● Used cameras, scanners, audio intercommunication

equipment, alarms, locks, etc.

● Inspiration for advancements

Check out the link at the end of the slideshow for more!

Mae Carol Jemison● American engineer, NASA astronaut, physician

● The first African-American woman to travel

into space (1992)

● Spent more than a week orbiting Earth aboard

aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour

Check out the link at the end of the slideshow for more!

SCIENTISTS

Dorothy Johnson Vaughan● Part of the mathematical team that helped launch satellites

(and later humans) into space

● At first: Vaughan’s team separated due to race and gender

(separate dining areas, bathrooms, departments)

● Desegregation a decade later - a more powerful team

Ways to Celebrate/Honour

Incorporating Black history throughout the Year(not just February)

Ways to Celebrate/Honour

Support Black-owned Businesses

https://www.afrobizworld.com/● Nancy K Boutique

(CLothing)● Pili Pili Grilled Chicken

(Restaurant)

Donate to Black Organizations

● Black Lives Matter chapters in your area

● Black Women in Motion (Toronto)

Explore Black history through books, films & documentaries

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● Olympic Pride, American Prejudice (Film)

● La 92, 13th (Netflix)

Ways to Celebrate/Honour

Recognise Black Artists Visit Museums

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● Virtual Exhibitions

● National Museum of African American History & Culture

● Musicians, poets, actors, filmmakers, authors

● Some of Many Black Writers● Some of Many Black Inventors● Some of Many Black Scientists● Black Owned Businesses● Black Lives Matter

LINKS TO CHECK OUT:

CITATIONShttps://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month/about.htmlhttps://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-monthhttps://www.weareteachers.com/7-fresh-ideas-for-black-history-month/https://www.biography.com/people/groups/black-scientists#&gid=ci023d0ed6f00025f5&pid=mamievanbrittenlkbhf-660 https://www.oprahmag.com/life/g25954127/african-american-historical-figures/?slide=8 https://abcnews.go.com/US/importance-black-history-celebrated-february/story?id=68618746 https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-54522248 https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/5-black-canadian-leaders-who-inspired-a-generationhttps://www.ibiblio.org/sncc/hamer.htmlhttps://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/fannie-lou-hamerhttps://theconversation.com/black-canadian-activists-pressured-to-be-quiet-leaders-111027https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kamala-harris-latest-democrat-run-president/story?id=60521324