Faith Ringgold: Black Art Matters

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 10 February 2023 > Shine Bright Collège Shine Bright Lycée What's On

Over a long career Faith Ringgold has used her art to support civil rights for African Americans and feminist causes. The first retrospective of her work in France makes the message clear through its title “Black is Beautiful”. Ringgold was born in 1930 in Harlem and grew up surrounded by the art, literature and music … Continue reading “Faith Ringgold: Black Art Matters”

Great Short Videos on African American History

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 04 February 2023 > Shine Bright Collège Shine Bright Lycée Webpicks

Blackhistoryintwominutes.com is a site devoted to producing two-minute videos on just about any topic you could think of in African American history.  For Black History Month, we’ve selected a few that fit well with topics Speakeasy and Shine Bright have covered. The site is financed by African American billionaire philanthropist Robert F. Smith and the … Continue reading “Great Short Videos on African American History”

Bringing the Underground Railroad to the Screen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 16 July 2021 > Shine Bright Collège Shine Bright Lycée What's On

African-American author Colson Whitehead and film director Barry Jenkins both made the same mistake when they were children and first heard about the Underground Railroad. The historical Underground Railroad was a network of people who helped slaves escape from the American South to freedom in the northern states or Canada. Both Whitehead and Jenkins pictured a real trains travelling under the southern states to freedom.

February is Black History Month

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 16 February 2021 > Celebrate

It’s changed names and format several times since 1924, but February in the U.S. is African-American History Month, when schools, cultural institutions and the general public celebrate the African-Americans whose stories have often been left out of official history books.

African American History on the Web

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 15 January 2021 > Webpicks

This selection of sites and videos is useful for classes on African American history and culture, particularly the civil-rights movement and the Harlem Renaissance

Happy Birthday, MLK!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 02 January 2021 > Celebrate

The third Monday of January is a federal holiday in the U.S.A., in honour of Martin Luther King. In keeping with King's philosophy, citizens are encouraged to treat it as a day of service to others by volunteering in their communities. As the slogan says, it is "a day on, not a day off".

Centennial of Suffrage

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 29 July 2020 > Celebrate

In 1920, almost 150 years after the United States declared that “all men are created equal,” American women got the right to vote… 27 years after women in New Zealand did. American suffragists worked for almost 80 years to obtain that right. And there’s still work to do today.

Frederick Douglass on the Web

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 12 March 2018 > Webpicks

On the occasion of Frederick Douglass’s Bicentennial, there are lots of online resources to help you introduce this major figure of the abolition movement to your pupils. This section on Frederick Douglass from the Library of Congress children’s site is suitable from A2. It’s not a very detailed biography but has an excellent quote from … Continue reading “Frederick Douglass on the Web”

The Face of Money: U.S. Banknotes Get a New Look

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 20 February 2017 > Ready to Use

This A2-level article will enable your pupils to understand the historical significance of portraits on American banknotes, and to compare with other currencies. The presentation of new notes featuring Harriet Tubman and other African-American and women’s suffrage activists includes suggestions for an EPI with history.

2020: The Year of Women

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 16 January 2017 > In the News

There may or may not be a woman in the White House in 2016. But there will be a lot more women featured on American banknotes by 2020 after a campaign to get a woman's image on the $20 bill by 2020, the centenary of the year women in the U.S. finally got to vote!