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On This Day: Celebrating Black History

February is Black History Month. Black Americans have made countless contributions to American History. This list highlights children's books connected to African American people who were born or died in the month of February as well as important events that occurred during the month of February.

908 Resources including
101 Videos
46 Book Readings
80 Lesson Plans
List Analysis Report

Showing 1-48 of 58 book results from the CRL "On This Day: Celebrating Black History".

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Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope

by Nikki Grimes and Bryan Collier

23 Resources

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February 5, 1990 - Barack Obama became the first Black man named president of Harvard Law Review.

Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America

Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America

by Russell Freedman

15 Resources7 Awards

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February 9, 1965 - Martin Luther King met with President Johnson to discuss black voting rights.

Betty Before X

Betty Before X

by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson

24 Resources4 Awards

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February 21, 1965 - Activist Malcolm X was assassinated at the age of 39 in New York City.

Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson

Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson

by Charles R. Smith, Jr. and Shane W. Evans

14 Resources1 Awards

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February 3, 1903 - Jack Johnson won the World Colored Heavyweight Championship.

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation

by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

17 Resources

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February 4, 1913 - Rosa Parks (born Rosa Louise McCauley) was born on this day

Carter G. Woodson: The Father of Black History

Carter G. Woodson: The Father of Black History

by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr.

6 Resources1 Awards

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Feb. 7, 1926 - Negro History Week originated by Carter G. Woodson is observed for the first time.

Carter G. Woodson: The Man Who Put “Black” in American History

Carter G. Woodson: The Man Who Put “Black” in American History

by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson

5 Resources1 Awards

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Feb. 7, 1926 - Negro History Week originated by Carter G. Woodson is observed for the first time.

Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit

Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit

by Kadir Nelson

8 Resources

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February 5, 1990 - Barack Obama became the first Black man named president of Harvard Law Review.

Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes

Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes

by Floyd Cooper

9 Resources2 Awards

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February 1, 1902 - It is believed that Black American poet, Langston Hughes was born on this day.

First Step, The: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial

The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial

by Susan E. Goodman and E.B. Lewis

19 Resources7 Awards

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Feb. 15, 1848 - First school integration suit filed on behalf of Sarah Roberts, a 5 year-old girl.

For the Love of the Game: Michael Jordan and Me

For the Love of the Game: Michael Jordan and Me

by Eloise Greenfield and Jan Spivey Gilchrist

8 Resources

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Feb. 17, 1963 - Michael Jordan was born.

Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History

Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History

by Walter Dean Myers and Floyd Cooper

22 Resources3 Awards

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Feb. 14, 1817 - Frederick Douglass, chose Valentine's Day to celebrate his birthday.

Frederick's Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass

Frederick's Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass

by Doreen Rappaport and London Ladd

10 Resources3 Awards

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Feb. 14, 1817 - Frederick Douglass, chose Valentine's Day to celebrate his birthday.

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins

by Carole Boston Weatherford and Jerome Lagarrigue

14 Resources

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February 1, 1960 - Four Black college students staged a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter.

Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony & Frederick Douglass

Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony & Frederick Douglass

by Suzanne Slade and Nicole Tadgell

13 Resources1 Awards

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Feb. 14, 1817 - Frederick Douglass, chose Valentine's Day to celebrate his birthday.

Grandad Mandela

Grandad Mandela

by Ambassador Zindzi Mandela, Zazi And Ziwelene Mandela, Sean Qualls, and Zondwa Mandela

10 Resources1 Awards

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Feb. 11, 1990 - Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years as a political prisoner.

Henry Aaron's Dream

Henry Aaron's Dream

by Matt Tavares

21 Resources2 Awards

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February 5, 1934 - On this day, legendary baseball player Hank Aaron (Henry Louis Aaron) was born.

I Am Rosa Parks

I Am Rosa Parks

by Rosa Parks, Wil Clay, and James Haskins

7 Resources1 Awards

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February 4, 1913 - Rosa Parks (born Rosa Louise McCauley) was born on this day

I Have a Dream

I Have a Dream

by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Kadir Nelson

24 Resources5 Awards

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February 9, 1965 -Martin Luther King met with President Johnson to discuss black voting rights.

I, Too, Am America

I, Too, Am America

by Langston Hughes and Bryan Collier

19 Resources3 Awards

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February 1, 1902 - It is believed that Black American poet, Langston Hughes was born on this day.

Jump!: From the Life of Michael Jordan

Jump!: From the Life of Michael Jordan

by Floyd Cooper

6 Resources

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Feb. 17, 1963 - Michael Jordan was born.

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

by Langston Hughes and Benny Andrews

6 Resources1 Awards

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February 1, 1902 - It is believed that Black American poet, Langston Hughes was born on this day.

Langston Hughes: American Poet

Langston Hughes: American Poet

by Alice Walker and Catherine Deeter

9 Resources

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February 1, 1902 - It is believed that Black American poet, Langston Hughes was born on this day.

Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century

Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century

by Carole Boston Weatherford and Raúl Colón

18 Resources1 Awards

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Feb 10, 1927 - Leontyne Price, who became an internationally acclaimed opera singer, was born.

Let the Children March

Let the Children March

by Monica Clark-Robinson and Frank Morrison

20 Resources3 Awards

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Feb. 10, 1964 - The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed following Civil Rights protests

Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly

Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly

by Walter Dean Myers and Leonard Jenkins

15 Resources1 Awards

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February 21, 1965 -Activist Malcolm X was assassinated at the age of 39 in New York City.

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier

28 Resources6 Awards

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February 9, 1965 - Martin Luther King met with President Johnson to discuss black voting rights.

Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman

Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman

by Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney

19 Resources5 Awards

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February 1, 1978 - The United States Postal Service issued a Harriet Tubman stamp.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

by Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson

26 Resources5 Awards

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February 1, 1978 - The United States Postal Service issued a Harriet Tubman stamp.

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World

by Jonah Winter and François Roca

7 Resources

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February 25, 1964 - Muhammad Ali became heavyweight champion, defeating Sonny Liston.

Mysterious Thelonious

Mysterious Thelonious

by Chris Raschka

14 Resources3 Awards

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February 17, 1982 - On this day, jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk died at the age of 65.

Negro League Scrapbook, A

A Negro League Scrapbook

by Carole Boston Weatherford

12 Resources1 Awards

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February 13, 1920 - First Black Professional League Founded

Negro Leagues, The: Celebrating Baseball's Unsung Heroes

The Negro Leagues: Celebrating Baseball's Unsung Heroes

4 Resources1 Awards

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February 13, 1920 -First Black Professional League Founded

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

by Kadir Nelson

21 Resources5 Awards

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Feb. 11, 1990 - Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years as a political prisoner.

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth

by Anne Rockwell and R. Gregory Christie

16 Resources5 Awards

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February 4, 1986 - The United States Postal Service issued a Sojourner Truth stamp.

Picture Book of Frederick Douglass, A

A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass

by David A. Adler and Samuel Byrd

10 Resources

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Feb. 14, 1817 - Frederick Douglass, chose Valentine's Day to celebrate his birthday.

Red-Tail Angels: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II

Red-Tail Angels: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II

by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr.

8 Resources2 Awards

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February 19, 1942 - The Tuskegee Airmen were initiated into the U.S. armed forces.

Rosa

Rosa

by Nikki Giovanni and Bryan Collier

31 Resources6 Awards

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February 4, 1913 - Rosa Parks (born Rosa Louise McCauley) was born on this day .

Ruth and the Green Book

Ruth and the Green Book

by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Floyd Cooper

19 Resources4 Awards

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Feb. 16, 1974 - Actor Mahershala Ali is born. He won an academy award for the film Green Book.

Salt in His Shoes

Salt in His Shoes

by Deloris Jordan, Roslyn M. Jordan, and Kadir Nelson

9 Resources

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Feb. 17, 1963 - Michael Jordan was born.

Satchel Paige

Satchel Paige

by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome

19 Resources2 Awards

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Feb. 9, 1971 - Leroy Satchel Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow

by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso

8 Resources

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Feb. 9, 1971 - Leroy Satchel Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward Freedom

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward Freedom

by Gary D. Schmidt and Daniel Minter

20 Resources4 Awards

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February 4, 1986 - The United States Postal Service issued a Sojourner Truth stamp.

Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride

Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride

by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

21 Resources2 Awards

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February 4, 1986 - The United States Postal Service issued a Sojourner Truth stamp.

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?

by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick McKissack

14 Resources3 Awards

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February 4, 1986 - The United States Postal Service issued a Sojourner Truth stamp.

Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe Dimaggio

Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe Dimaggio

by Robert Skead and Floyd Cooper

11 Resources1 Awards

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Feb. 9, 1971 - Leroy Satchel Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Splash of Red, A: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet

29 Resources9 Awards

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February 22, 1888 -Legendary painter Horace Pippin was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Starting Home: The Story of Horace Pippin, Painter

Starting Home: The Story of Horace Pippin, Painter

by Mary E. Lyons

6 Resources1 Awards

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February 22, 1888 -Legendary painter Horace Pippin was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Above are books from the CRL "On This Day: Celebrating Black History" that are currently on TeachingBooks.

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