Celebrating Black History

  • The month of February was officially recognized as Black History Month in 1976, but its origins go back 50 years prior when Carter G. Woodson had a vision for promoting African American history. Today, it is an annual celebration of the achievements by African Americans and a time we designate to recognize the central role they had in shaping U.S. history.

    Cincinnati Public Schools is excited to celebrate Black History Month in our schools, neighborhoods and across the city of Cincinnati. We are proud to offer African American History curriculum as a stand-alone course in every high school, as well as increasing the perspectives and history of African Americans throughout our K-12 curriculum. Black History Month highlights the rich intellectual, cultural and societal accomplishments and contributions of African Americans. Throughout the month, schools will celebrate Black History Month through programs, stories, musical programs and the Martin Luther King Oratorical Contest on February 17, 2023. We are pleased to share resources for our families to use as an opportunity to explore readings and activities with their children all year long.

Local and National Resources

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Black Voices of Cincinnati

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  • Personal Connections

  • Joe Mallory

  • Morgan Owens

  • John Lomax

Our Stories: Accomplishments, Biographies and Culture

      Genre: Animation

      • Genre: Animation

        Our Friend Martin (YouTube)
        The Proud Family Movie (Disney)
        John Henry (Disney)
        Princess and A Frog (Disney)
        Spider Man into The Spiderverse (Disney/Marvel)
        Dancing in the Light: The Janet Collins Story (Amazon PRIME)
        SOUL (Disney/PIXAR)

        Download our complete list: OUR STORIES
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      Genre: Afrofuturism

      • Genre: Afrofuturism

        Black Panther (Disney)
        Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever (Disney)
        Lovecraft Country (HBO Max)
        Brother From Another Planet (YouTube)
        Kindred (Hulu)
        Sorry to Bother You (Hulu)
        Black is King (Disney)
        A Wrinkle in Time (Disney)
        Dear White People (Netflix)

        Download our complete list: OUR STORIES
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      Genre: Biographies: Films/ Documentaries

      • Genre: Biographies: Films/ Documentaries

        13th (Netflix)
        Amend: The Fight For America (Netflix)
        1619 Project (Jan. 26 th HULU)
        Ethnic Notions
        Hidden Figures
        Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
        Descendant (Netflix)
        Fruitville Station
        42: The Story of Jackie Robinson
        Hidden Figures
        Ali
        What’s My Name: The Story of Muhammed Ali (HBO Max/Prime)
        Ballerina’s Tale: The Misty Copeland Story (Prime)
        Ruby Bridges
        Red Tails
        Judas and the Messiah: The Story of Fred Hampton
        The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (PBS)
        Just Mercy
        Malcolm X

        Download our complete list: OUR STORIES
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      Genre: Family Classics - Fiction/Non-Fiction

      • Genre: Family Classics - Fiction/Non-Fiction

        Akeela and the Bee
        The Great Debaters
        ROOTS
        A Ballerina’s Tale: The Misty Copeland Story (Amazon PRIME)
        Pride
        Betty and Coretta (PRIME)
        Black Boys (Peacock)
        The Hate U Give
        Sarafina! (Prime/Apple TV)
        Safety (Disney)
        A Raisin in the Sun (1961 version)
        The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
        A Lesson Before Dying
        Do The Right Thing
        The Hollywood Shuffle
        The Butler
        Crooklyn
        The Color Purple
        Remember the Titans

        Download our complete list: OUR STORIES
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      Genre: Culture - Musicals, Biographies/Documentaries

      Authors/Books: Ages 0-8

      • Authors/Books: Ages 0-8

        The Snowy Day by Erza Jack Keats
        Reggae First Play List
        Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
        RESPECT: A Children’s Picture Book
        Dear Black Boy
        Please, Puppy, Please by Spike Lee and Tanya Lewis Lee
        My Little Golden Book About Misty Copeland
        A is For All the Things You Are: A Joyful ABC Book
        Dream Big, Little One
        How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander
        Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou
        Bedtime For Sweet Creatures
        Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed A Neighborhood
        Mae Among the Stars
        This Jazz Man
        Hair Love
        Bad Hair Does Not Exist!
        Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella
        The Story of Ruby Bridges
        I Am Enough
        I Am Every Good Thing
        Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
        Before She Was Harriet
        Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem
        Pele: King of Soccer
        All Because You Matter
        Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles
        Born on the Water (1619 Project)
        When the Schools Shut Down: A Young Girl's Story of Virginia's "Lost Generation" and the Brown v.
        Board of Education of Topeka Decision
        The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
        Black Boy, Black Boy: Celebrate the Power of YOU

        Download our complete list: OUR STORIES
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      Authors/Books: Ages 9-12

      • Authors/Books: Ages 9-12

        Secret Saturdays by Torrey Moldanado
        A Song For Bijou
        The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
        The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford
        Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson
        The Book of Black Heroes: 30 Fearless and Inspirational Black Men and Women That Changed History
        President of the Whole Fifth Grade
        Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia
        The Watsons Go to Birmingam
        Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
        The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore
        Future Hero: Race to Fire Mountain by Remi Blackwood
        Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri
        The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
        Miles Morales Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
        Before the Ever After by Jaqueline Woodson
        Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
        MARCH: Books 1, 2 and 3 by John Lewis
        Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy: Racism, Injustice, and How You Can Be a Changemaker

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      Authors/Books: Ages 13

      • Authors/Books: Ages 13+

        Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
        The Hate U Give
        Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture
        The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
        Song of Soloman by Toni Morrison
        The Color Purple by Alice Walker
        Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist For Justice by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes and Dawud Anyabwile
        Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
        Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
        Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
        Baracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
        The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
        ROOTS by Alex Haley
        Interiors: A Black Woman’s Healing in Progress by Iyanla Vanzant
        Makes Me Wanna Holler by Nathan McCall
        Soledad Brother by George Jackson
        A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
        Kindred by Octavia Butler
        Dear Martin by Nic Stone
        I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina
        The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
        This Book is Antiracist by Tiffany Jewell
        A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
        A Wreath For Emmitt Till by Marilyn Nelson
        Who Put This Song On? By Morgan Parker
        We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden
        How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
        The Color of Water by James McBride
        Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
        A Lesson Before Dying by August Wilson

        Download our complete list: OUR STORIES
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