Who’s Not in Your Textbook?
Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12
Ask students to review their history/civics textbooks for information on famous African Americans.

Have them look for notable figures in politics, science, the arts, athletics, activism, and entertainment. Who do they see? In which topics are African American featured most prominently, other than slavery and the civil rights movement?

Have students research a time period or a specific topic and have them identify a notable African American they believe deserves more credit or attention. USe the online resources listed below and others for useful information.

Students could create a report, a multimedia presentation using images, video, audio and powerpoint, or write a skit or short story based on that individual’s experience and accomplishments. As part of their presentations, students should address how this person’s inspired them.

Online Resources

African American Lives:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/

African American World:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/

American Masters:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/

American Experience:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/

African American Inventors:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blkidprimer6_12aa.htm

African American Masters of Art:
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1993/ …

PBS Lesson Plans/Activities

American Masters – For Teachers
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/education/

The Blues Classroom:
http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom.html

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow – Black Pioneers:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/education_lesson3.html

American Experience – Jubilee Singers – Sacrifice and Glory:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/singers/tguide/index.html

The Names Behind the Famous Cases
Grade Levels: 2-5; 6-8

Have your students conduct research projects about the following cases that resulted in historic rulings affecting civil rights. Specifically, ask your students to investigate the stories behind the cases. Who were the plaintiffs and how did their names become part of legal and civil rights history? Some examples include:

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1892)
• Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (1948)
• Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Younger students can create a mural about these courageous men and women and children who helped move civil rights forward.

Online Resources

Beyond Brown – Pursuing the Promise:
http://www.pbs.org/beyondbrown/index.html

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: A National Struggle:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/struggle_court.html

The Other Women Behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12

Ask students to find information on Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith in their textbooks. Why aren’t they included in the history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Ask students to research these tow young women using the following resources:

• Wikipedia: Claudette Colvin:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudette_Colvin
• Wikipedia: Mary Louise Smith:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Louise_Smith
• They Changed the World: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott:
  http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/frontpage.htm