Lisa Gipson
15 Ways to Celebrate
Black History Month Black History Month (February) is often something that is recognized at school, but is your family doing anything to celebrate or discuss it at home? Literature, food, music and art are fabulous ways to expose children to different cultures and experiences. Plus, early exposure to a variety of books and characters helps develop acceptance and understanding at a young age. If you haven’t started diversifying your family’s bookshelf, consider doing so this month. Here are 15 ways to celebrate Black History Month.
Create a beautiful African Maasai Family mural. Find instructions from our “Art with Alyssa” contributor at www.sandiegofamily.com/forthe-kids/crafts-for-kids/africanmaasai-family-art-project.
Create art inspired by Black history. Harriet Tubman was perhaps the most famous and successful “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, the intricate network of people, safe houses and trail routes followed by men and women enslaved in the south to make it to freedom in the 1800s. Along the way, trail demarcations such as broken pottery and chalk symbols on barns let Tubman and those who escaped know where to travel or lodge safely. It is even believed that hanging quilt “codes” helped lead the way to safety. There are several quilt patterns thought to have been used, such as the bowtie quilt block pattern, which let travelers know that finer clothes were needed to “blend in.” To commemorate Black History Month, do some research as a family on the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman. Then construct your own bowtie quilt square with paper. Instructions: www.sandiegofamily.com/for-the-kids/crafts-for-kids
30 • SanDiegofamily.com • February 2021
