How to Start a Black History Month Family Tradition

Black History Month provides Americans with an opportunity to celebrate and explore the conflicted history of African Americans. From the tragedies of slavery and the Jim Crow laws, to the triumphs of the Harlem Renaissance and the March on Washington, America's racial history is uniquely fascinating. There are several different ways that blacks and whites alike can start a family tradition to honor Black History Month.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Pick significant historical figures and decide to learn more about them. Whether you choose a well-known Civil Rights icon like Martin Luther King, Jr. or an earlier abolitionist like Sojourner Truth, African-American history is rich with dramatically compelling figures. A paragraph in a school history book barely scratches the surface of all there is to learn about black history.

2. Explore a different work of African-American literature each year. Novels like James Weldon Johnson's "Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" or Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" helped to dispel the myth that African Americans were intellectually inferior to whites. Their stories helped to inform white audiences about the struggles African Americans faced in this country.

3. Celebrate the influence of African Americans in the music world. Music was a crucial outlet for African Americans throughout their history in this country, and the techniques and instrumentation of traditional black music left an indelible mark on white culture. Blues, jazz, rock n' roll and hip hop all find their roots in the African-American experience.

4. Explore the African-American history that surrounds you. While your hometown might not have the historical significance of Selma or Montgomery, you can find uniquely interesting human dramas in any community. Many larger cities have their own African-American history museums or portions of regional history museums dedicated to the local black experience.

5. Take a road trip to a nearby city with important historical significance. Use Black History Month as an excuse to visit the Lorraine Motel in Memphis or the home of Frederick Douglass in Washington, DC. Every region of the country has its own special connections to African-American history.

6. Learn about the ways in which African-American inventors influenced the world. From the agricultural advancements of George Washington Carver to the electrical marvels of Granville Woods to the medical breakthroughs of Patricia Bath, African Americans have made many significant contributions to the world of science. Many of the things we take for granted today are the products of African-American inventors.

7. Start a family tradition of watching films made by African-American directors. While contemporary audiences may be familiar with filmmakers like Spike Lee and Kasi Lemmons, African-American cinema extends all the way back to the silent era. While most movie fans are aware of D.W. Griffith's racist "Birth of a Nation," few have seen the African-American director Oscar Micheaux's "Within Our Gates," which explored a similar story from the black perspective.

Tips & Warnings

• With a full month to celebrate black history, there's plenty of time to start more than one family tradition.
• While Black History Month provides a great opportunity to delve into our country's past, you should also make an effort to explore our country's present struggles. By exploring classic black literature and music, you'll be able to appreciate how the world we share today has been shaped by the events of our past.