February 2000: African-American Achievement

Check out these interdisciplinary teaching ideas, TV programs, and online resources developed each month around a specific theme. Return next month for more ideas!

Teaching Ideas

Sojourner's Speech

Freed slave Sojourner Truth was a famous abolitionist in the mid-1900s who also fought tirelessly for women's suffrage. The abolition and women's suffrage movements had many crusaders in common--Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass among them--but members of the two groups also came into conflict with one another, especially after the Civil War when black males, but no females of any race, earned the right to vote. (For more information on this conflict, see the "Not For Ourselves Alone" Web site at http://www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/resources/index.html?body=abolitionists.html).

Sojourner Truth was, in fact, waging a war on two fronts: trying to end discrimination against African-Americans, and trying to broaden the opportunities for women. Her famous speech, "Ain't I A Woman?" is an example of talks she gave all around the country.

Have students read the speech and talk about how Truth successfully defeated the objections of her opponents with the points she made when she spoke. Ask students to think about a group today that doesn't enjoy the same rights as everyone else, or a group they feel is widely misunderstood (kids, senior citizens, recent immigrants, etc.). Have students write speeches modeled after "Ain't I A Woman?" that address people's objections or misconceptions of the group in question. Speeches could be read during the school's morning announcements, sent as editorials to the local paper, or posted on the school's Web site.

Sidney Poitier and A Raisin In The Sun

When Sidney Poitier won an Academy Award for his role in 1963's Lilies of the Field, he was the first African-American actor to be so honored--and is still the only African-American to have won in that category. One of Poitier's other well-known roles was Walter Lee Younger in the 1961 version of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun. The characters in Hansberry's drama grapple with conflicting visions of what it means to be a "successful" African-American; so too did Poitier, whose "acceptance" into a predominantly white industry brought both adulation and reproach from the African-American community.

On February 2 at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT, IdahoPTV will air "Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light," a documentary profiling Poitier's career as an actor, writer, director, critic, and diplomat. Screening this documentary with students is a great way to expand the study of "A Raisin In The Sun." In what ways does Poitier's personal experience mirror the conflicts in the play? How do both parallel and provoke the civil rights struggle of the '50s and '60s? Students might prepare concept webs illustrating the connections; as an extension, students might explore what it means to be a "successful" African-American today.

IdahoPTV and PBS Programs in February

Don't miss these programs airing in February! Check your local listings for the most accurate air date and time.

John Brown's Holy War airs Monday February 28 at 8:00 p.m. MT/PT
Martyr, madman, murderer, hero: John Brown remains one of history's most controversial and misunderstood figures. In the 1850s, he and his ragtag guerrilla group embarked on a righteous crusade against slavery that was based on religious faith—yet carried out with shocking violence. His execution at Harpers Ferry sparked a chain of events that led to the Civil War.

Duke Ellington's Washington airs Monday, February 7 at 10:00 p.m. MT/PT
This program outlines the flowering of the African-American community in Washington, DC, during the early 20th century and its revival today. Few Americans are aware that in the era before the Harlem Renaissance, the Washington black community was the center of black culture in America—a jazz mecca for such greats as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Pearl Bailey, a Washingtonian like Ellington, dubbed the city's U Street "the black Broadway."

Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light airs February 2, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT
Sidney Poitier, the only African American ever to receive an Academy Award for best actor, is one of the most enduring artists of the time. His career defined and documented the modern history of blacks in American film and paralleled and provoked the history of blacks in America. Poitier embodied the aspirations and contradictions of an era; his "acceptance" into a predominantly white industry brought both adulation and reproach from the African-American community. This program, directed by Lee Grant, who co-starred with Poitier in the groundbreaking film In the Heat of the Night, explores Poitier's life and career through his characters and his vision.

Wonders of the African World with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. airs Wednesdays February 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 10:00 p.m. MT/PT
In this series, Henry Louis Gates Jr., chair of Afro-American studies at Harvard and director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research, challenges the widespread Western view of Africa as the primitive "dark continent" civilized by white colonists. He shatters myths as he tells true stories of proud lands filled with great civilizations, cities and centers of learning long before any Europeans set foot there. He also shares his poignant personal odyssey as an African American, the great-great-grandchild of slaves, returning to the cradle of black civilization.

IdahoPTV and PBS Online Resources: Sites to See

Africans in America
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/tguide/index.html
Use maps, broadsides, paintings, letters, and diaries to trace the African-American struggle for freedom 1607-1865.

The American Experience: America 1900
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/amex/1900/tguide/index.html
Examine African-American speeches, music, and poetry at the turn of the century, and follow the development of the Niagara Movement, the Pan-African Congress, and the Ku Klux Klan.

Ancestors: African-American Families
http://www.pbs.org/kbyu/ancestors/teachersguide/
Learn about the documents that may be available to help African-American families research their ancestors.

Arthur: Rhythms From Around the World http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/arthur/teachers/activities/web/rhythms_around.html
Compare music from different cultures and identify countries of origin.

Asa Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom
http://www.pbs.org/weta/apr/apr_guide.html
Discuss the philosophy and strategies used by Randolph to lead the strike of the Pullman Porters.

The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords
http://www.pbs.org/blackpress/educate_event/index.html
Join the journalists who won wars with words in this civil rights documentary.

Fooling With Words
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/foolingwithwords/guide/fooling.pdf
Explore the work of contemporary African-American poets including Amiri Baraka and Lucille Clifton.

Forgotten Fires
http://www.pbs.org/forgottenfires
Explore the causes and legacies of church burnings in one South Carolina community.

Frontline: The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/teach/
Investigate the qualities of a good leader and learn more about Mandela's remarkable journey.

Hoop Dreams: Teachers Guide
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/hoopdreams/teachresource.html
Help students with career planning, family responsibility, and educational success.

I'll Make Me A World
http://www.pbs.org/immaw
Explore 100 years of African Americans on stage, screen, print, song, and more through biographies, community events, and interdisciplinary arts activities.

In The Mix
http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/
Explore adolescent issues with this show by, for, and about teens.

Literature and Life
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/litandlife/studyguide.html
Read the powerful poetry and prose of Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, Harriet Jacobs, Zora Neale Hurston, Gordon Parks, and other African-American authors.

The Mississippi: River of Song
http://www.pbs.org/riverofsong/teachers/index.html
Enjoy R&B, gospel, jazz, and blues with these activities for music history and music making.

Mister Rogers Neighborhood: Everybody's Special
http://www.pbs.org/rogers/ppspecial.html
Encourage students to feel confident and comfortable with their appearance, abilities, and talents through these preschool play activities.

Newton's Apple: Sunken Slave Ship
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/15/sunken.html
Join scientists and historians as they discuss the importance of discovering the Henrietta Marie, an 18th century slave ship, and learn about a career in marine archaeology.

The People's Century: Freedom Now
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/peoplescentury/teachers/tgfreedom.html
Investigate the struggle against colonialism in Africa that unfolded while the Civil Rights movement heated up in the States.

The People's Century: Skin Deep
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/peoplescentury/teachers/tgskin.html
Learn more about the U.S. civil rights movement during the 1950s and '60s.

Point of View: Family Name
http://www.pbs.org/pov/familyname/school/index.html
Explore how a community's racial history resurfaces in the life of a modern-day descendant.

A Question of Genes: Inherited Risks
http://www.pbs.org/gene/educator/41_discussion.html
Investigate inequities in medical testing, and see why African-American women may be especially at risk for breast cancer.

Richard Wright: Black Boy
http://www.pbs.org/rwbb/teachgd.html
Explore the life and political struggle of this famous author with activities in history, literature, psychology, political science, and sociology.

Six Billion And Beyond
http://www.pbs.org/sixbillion/studyguide/studyguide.html
Investigate the implications of population growth in America, Kenya, and other countries around the world.

Skin Deep
http://www.pbs.org/skindeep/guide/Guide.htm
Explore diversity in the workplace, community, and university with research, discussion, and math activities.

Wonders of the African World
http://www.pbs.org/wonders/
Locate lessons on the pyramids, Swahili culture, South Africa, Ethiopian history, and more.