Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Initiatives

The Office of CLRI Honors

Black History Month

All BPS Families and Community Members are invited to attend the powerful events being held during February 2021.

"We Lift as We Climb." - Mary Church Terrell

Watch Dr. Yuhuru Williams's Presentation Here:

Watch the presentation here: 

Watch the presentations here:

In preparation for Black History Month, C-SPAN Classroom has aggregated a number of resources relating to the history of African Americans in the United States. Explore the C-SPAN Classroom Lessons and Bell Ringers to learn more about this history.

Black History Month Resources

• Bell Ringer: Black History Represented in Popular Movies (5:51)
• Bell Ringer: Beale Street and Memphis (8:05)
• Bell Ringer: Black Wall Street (5:08)
• Bell Ringer: Detroit's Paradise Valley (3:43)
• Bell Ringer: Music and Civil Rights (5:21)
• Bell Ringer: Gospel Music and African American History (4:48)
• Bell Ringer: The History of Black Athletes' Activism (4:12)
• Bell Ringer: Phillis Wheatley (2:55) 
• Bell Ringer: Harriet Tubman during the Civil War (2:27)
• Bell Ringer: Life and Legacy of Frederick Douglass (10:24)
• Bell Ringer: The Great Migration and Black Representation in Congress (3:58)
• Bell Ringer: Rosenwald Schools in the Segregated South (5:40)
• Bell Ringer: Anne Spencer and The Harlem Renaissance (5:52)
• Bell Ringer: Booker T. Washington (11:05)
• Bell Ringer: George Washington Carver (2:33)
• Bell Ringer: The Impact of W.E.B Du Bois and Marcus Garvey (4:38)
• Bell Ringer: Ida B. Wells (2 Clips)
• Bell Ringer: The First Africans Brought to Virginia (7:39)
• Bell Ringer: Free Communities of Color (3:26)
• Bell Ringer: Pullman Porters (2 Clips)
• Bell Ringer: African Americans in WWI (9:54)
• Bell Ringer: The Tuskegee Airmen (6:47)
• Bell Ringer: The Double V Campaign During World War II (2:25)
• Bell Ringer: Jackie Robinson's Impact on the Civil Rights Movement (1:48)
• Bell Ringer: The Early Life of Malcolm X (6:27)
• Bell Ringer: The Voting Rights Act and African Americans in Congress (3:43)
• Bell Ringer: Shirley Chisholm and Black Women in Politics (3:48)
• Bell Ringer: The Origins of the Black Lives Matter Movement (3:05)
• Lesson: The Great Migration (9 Clips)
• Lesson: Voting Rights Marches in Selma (3 Clips)
• Lesson: Dr. King' s Letter from a Birmingham Jail (7 Clips)
• Lesson: Key Events of the Civil Rights Movement (15 Clips)
• On This Day: Thurgood Marshall Nominated to Supreme Court (3 Clips)
• On This Day: Barack Obama Wins the 2008 Presidential Election (3 Clips)
• Clip: Madam C.J. Walker (6:09)
• Clip: Eddie Glaude on Race Relations and Interpreting History (2:15)  

A Moving Image History for the Classroom - Project creator Rich Newberg presents an overview of this Black history video collection being offered to social studies teachers in schools throughout Western New York. Drawn from WIVB-TV Emmy Award winning documentaries, these teachable moments in time cover the African American experience in Buffalo from the days of slavery, through the Niagara Movement, and into modern times with the election of Byron Brown as the city's first African American mayor.

Mr. Newberg offers compelling reasons why it is imperative that students understand Buffalo's role in the civil rights movement as well as the challenges that still face inner city residents. The project is sponsored by the Niagara Frontier Council on the Social Studies. It is produced in cooperation with WIVB-TV, the Western New York Library Resources Council, and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. This Vimeo showcase is produced by Rich Newberg and videographer Tom Vetter. It may only be used for educational purposes.

Buffalo Public Schools' Tribute to Black History Month 2021

On Friday, February 2^nd, from 1:00 – 2:30 pm, Associate Superintendent Dr. Fatima Morrell and the BPS Office of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Initiatives team hosted a live workshop to celebrate the first week of Black History Month 2021 and the launching of a series of Black History programs and learning opportunities that will occur throughout the month of February. The Black History month series is titled “We Lift as We Climb” honoring Mary Church-Terrell and other iconic Black American activists who fought for civil rights and equality for all. The workshop was titled African American Teachable Moments: The Relationship Between Antiracism and Black History and included renowned guest presenter Dr. Yohuru Williams. Dr. Williams is an academic, author, activist, and esteemed professor of history and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas. In this workshop, open to grades 7-12 BPS students and families, as well as BPS social studies teachers, Dr. Williams led a deep discussion around key events in African American history and their connection to present day, ongoing issues, focusing on Black pioneers and key political movements of the Diaspora and weaving incredible likenesses to the modern day Black Lives Matter movement and the current role of American politics in respect to Black Americans. The CLRI Team and Dr. Williams were joined by over 300 students, teachers, and school leaders and countless others who tuned in to the event on the District’s main webpage. We would like to sincerely thank esteemed School Board President Sharon Belton-Cottman, esteemed Board member Paulette Woods, and esteemed Board Member Louis Petrucci, for their support and contributions to the workshop. Stay tuned as the Office of CLRI will be hosting several additional Black History Month events leading up to Urban Forum 2021 on March 16^th, 2021. Please check the BPS website for all upcoming Black History Month events.