Tag Archives: African American History

Do You Know Georgia Gilmore?

Posted on February 8, 2023 by | Comments Off on Do You Know Georgia Gilmore?

I consider myself a lifelong learner, but I find studying history incredibly humbling because there is so much I don’t know. Imagine my surprise when last week at the Youth Media Awards the American Library Association named Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott a Sibert Honor Book. The Sibert Award recognizes authors and illustrators of distinguished informational books.

For all the time I’ve spent learning about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Georgia Gilmore’s was not a name I’d heard, so I knew I needed to do some reading to find out exactly who she was. I’m fascinated by what I’ve learned, and I know you will be too. Here are some of the resources I explored.

In addition to these resources, there is ANOTHER chidren’s book about her. It is Pies From Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained The Montgomery Bus Boycott.

I’m sorry I didn’t know about Georgia Gilmore before now, but now that I do, I’ll be digging into the Supreme Court cases she was a party to so I can learn more about her and her work as a civil rights activist.

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Posted in Historical Figures

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Teaching About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted on January 18, 2022 by | Comments Off on Teaching About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This episode of the Teaching Hard History Podcast may be of interest to you.

Teaching the Movement’s Most Iconic Figure – w/ Charles McKinney

“Throughout this season, we’ve been confronting the popular but misleading “Master Narrative,” which revolves around a caricatured version of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To fully understand the movement, our students need to learn an accurate version of Dr. King’s life and activism. In this episode, I talk with historian Charles McKinney about the real Dr. King. “

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Posted in Holidays

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What is a Green Book?

Posted on February 26, 2019 by | Comments Off on What is a Green Book?

So you stayed up late on Sunday to see the big winners at the Oscars. If you haven’t seen Green Book, you may not know what a Green Book is. Here’s a description.

First published in 1937 by Victor H. Green & Company, The Negro Motorist Green Book provided African American travelers with a national guidebook for navigating segregated facilities on US highways, including hotels, restaurants, and gas stations. The Green Book (later renamed The Negro Travelers’ Green Book) became an essential reference for African Americans to travel more safely and comfortably during the Jim Crow era, when black travelers were regularly denied services, treated with hostility, and threatened with physical harm simply for seeking accommodations, food, or gas from white providers. The guidebook included recommendations and warnings for every state, highlighting the fact that racism made travel dangerous across the country, not just in the segregated south. The last guidebook was published in 1966.

You can view a Green Book at the Digital Public Library of America.

Here’s a good piece from the NYTimes.
The Open Road Wasn’t Quite Open to All

Here’s a great post you may find useful.
Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey

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A Terrible 400 Year Anniversary

Posted on February 18, 2019 by | Comments Off on A Terrible 400 Year Anniversary

1919 marks 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to North America. Our history is forever entwined with this event. The history of slavery is the history of America. Much of this nation was built on the backs of slaves.

Read this piece for a bit of history.
1619: 400 years ago, a ship arrived in Virginia, bearing human cargo

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Posted in Things to Think About

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Point/Counterpoint – What History Do We Remember?

Posted on April 25, 2016 by | Comments Off on Point/Counterpoint – What History Do We Remember?

I read a startling article last week that made me a bit angry and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to construct a commentary that described why the study of history needs to be multifaceted. Our founding fathers were not unidimensional, and they were not perfect. We must teach about all sides of our past and tell a more accurate story. I’m grateful that someone much more knowledgeable than me wrote an incredibly thoughtful response.

When you have some time, please read the article and the response.

Will History Only Remember the Founders as Slaveowners?
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/will-history-only-remember-the-founders-as-slaveowners/

An open letter to White people who tire of hearing about slavery when they visit slave plantations: especially Suzanne Sherman.
https://negrosubversive.com/2016/04/22/an-open-letter-to-white-people-who-tire-of-hearing-about-slavery-especially-when-they-are-visiting-plantations-worked-by-slaves-suzanne-sherman-in-particular/

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Posted in Things to Think About

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