How to Write a Black History Speech
Writing a black history speech can be a great way to convey the contributions of African-Americans to American society. However, because of the sheer volume of information, it can be challenging to write a concise speech that gets your message across to your audience. Outlining what you want to say and choosing specific aspects of black history will help you to write a speech that is both entertaining and informational.
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Instructions
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Conduct research on your topic. An online search is the best place to start, with sites like biography.com/blackhistory and blackhistory.com, both of which provide a great deal of useful information. The public library will have books on figureheads in African-American culture and resources that will allow to make a timeline of events in black history, from the first slaves to come to America up to the election of President Barack Obama.
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Outline your speech. Utilize a traditional outline format or, if you are feeling stumped for particular points, do it as you would an idea tree. Start with the main topic in the middle of a piece of paper and then in circles stemming from the middle, list important points about your topic. If you are doing a black history profile on, for example Martin Luther King, Jr., include information on his life, his work, his role in the Civil Rights movement, and how he's been idolized since his death.
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Write a rough draft. Incorporate traditional research and facts as well as anecdotes to make your speech more entertaining, engaging and captivating for your audience. Include a statement of purpose, which tells why you chose your black history topic, facts and statistics on the topic, anecdotes or humor (if possible) and a strong conclusion and statement of your view. Visuals, like graphs and photographs of prominent African-Americans, are also a good way to keep the attention of the audience.
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Edit your paper and be flexible enough to make changes during the process of finalizing your speech. Read it aloud several times during the writing process to be sure it flows well. Make sure you have a good wealth of information about the black history topic you've chosen.
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Practice giving your speech to a close friend or loved one. Gauge their reaction and ask for feedback on anything that might need to be changed. From your delivery to the black history topic you've chosen to speak about, everything should be subject to constructive criticism.
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Tips & Warnings
Some popular black history profile subjects include Harriett Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Rosa Parks and Sojourner Truth. If the speech is about a particular event or era in black history, the Negro Baseball Leagues and Brown vs. Board of Education are worthy subjects.
