9 People to Feature during Black History Month in your Classroom

There are so many people, both well-known and not as well-known, that are both amazing and perfect to study with your classroom. During this black history month, here is a list of 9 of those people to bring into the classroom. My students will be studying these people and doing a simple biography about one of them. I have done this same project with kids from second grade through fourth grade and the difference is on the amount of writing the students do. I cannot wait to get started again this year.

Let's start with the well-known people:

First up is of course Martin Luther King Jr. If you have ever taught, I am sure you have taught about his man. Everyone knows about his dream for America...how he wanted all people to be able to be judged by their insides and not on the color of their skin. He spent his life working to end racism and help all people be treated equally. He protested, but he found ways to do it peacefully. He is one of the black leaders at the forefront every single black history month.

Next is Rosa Parks. She is almost as famous as Martin Luther King Jr. himself. Rosa was famous for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. It was the start of the Montgomery bus boycott. 

Bessie Coleman was another amazing black woman who was also a pilot. She had to work hard for the right to reach her dream and became the first black American to have a pilot's license. 

Harriet Tubman is one of my favorites. She was nicknamed Moses because while she could have just saved herself, she didn't. She continued to rescue other people who were enslaved. She is likened to the Biblical Moses who saved his people from slavery. She was brave and strong and selfless. 

Now for some of the lesser known people who were still just as amazing:

The first one is Garrett Morgan. Garrett was an amazing inventor who did not get all the credit he deserved. Some of his inventions were credited to another person because black people could not hold patents. He was willing to allow someone else to get credit so the inventions could be of help to others. He made traffic lights better and saved many people's lives in the process. 

Dr. Charles Drew was a hard-working black doctor who worked to figure out a way to save blood that was needed for injured people. Before his time, transfusions were done from one person directly into another person. He was able to save it so hospitals could have a blood bank to draw from. Also, he is the father of the modern bloodmobile. 

Did you know that the very first open heart surgery was performed by a black surgeon? Dr. Daniel Hale Williams did that in 1893 without any of the modern conveniences of medicine today. He saved the patient's life. He also was not allowed to practice medicine at the white hospitals of the day so he opened a hospital that kept an interracial staff and was willing to help all people. 

Lydia Newman was a black inventor. She holds the first patent for a hairbrush with synthetic bristles. This hairbrush was better suited to detangle hair, especially that of African Americans. The bristles were stiffer than those made of animal hairs. The brush she invented was also easier to clean and more sanitary. She also worked hard to get voting rights for women. 

Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator. She opened one of the very first schools for African American girls. She also worked with some presidents to help with civil rights for African Americans. 

These are just, of course, a few of the many men and women of color who have helped to make our country great. Who will you choose to bring to life in your classroom? 

Check out my black history resources if you are interested. You can find these individually or in a complete bundle. Click below to be taken to each resource.