- The Kwanzaa Guide
- Celebrates Black History Month with highlights of Reconstruction, Harlem Renaissance and Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, James Baldwin and others
View Details
- The Kwanzaa Companion Guide
- It offers more materials, activities and illustrations on how families and schools can celebrate Kwanzaa.
View Details
- The Kwanzaa Teachers Guide
- After watching this, students will have an understanding of the purpose of Kwanzaa.
View Details
African American History Month
In All Our Glory
We have a wonderful history behind us. It reads like the history in a heroic age. If you read the history Africa, the history of your ancestors-people of whom you should feel proud-you will realize that they have a history that is worthwhile.
- Carter G. Woodson
Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as "Black History Month." Although blacks have been in America at least as far back as colonial times, it was not until the 20th century that they gained a respectable presence in the history books.
We owe the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the study of black history, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In the 1970s, the celebration of African American history was expanded to include the entire month of February.
The Kwanzaa Guide offers an interesting and unique learning experience in studying and learning about African American History by:
Highlighting the significant events which shaped African American History, using the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa
Highlighting the most influential books on African American History
Honoring the rich and enduring musical heritage of African American, featuring the most important musical works which have shaped the lives of African Americans and America
Testing your knowledge of Black History through our popular Black History Quiz
- Who was the first African warrior-king to unite Upper and Lower Egypt four millennia ago?
- Name two great empires in pre-colonial Africa.
- Name the fierce black woman and abolitionist and women's rights activist woman who spoke truth to power with her famous statement, “Ain’t I a Woman?”
- Who was the legendary female journalist and civil rights activist who wrote and fought against the lynching of black people in the United States?
- Who wrote the Black National Anthem?
- Who was the first African American woman to receive a patent?
- Who invented the automatic traffic signal and the gas mask?
- Who wrote the song "St. Louis Blues" and is known as "Father of the Blues?"
- Who was the founder of the largest major black nationalist movement?
- Name the most famous female writer associated with the Harlem Renaissance.
Ten Influential Books on African American Peoples
Click titles for brief description
About Kwanzaa
Seven Principles of Kwanzaa
English/Swahili
Unity/Umoja
Togetherness & Harmony
Self-Determination/kujichagulia
Self-Initiative & Self-Efficacy
Collective work and Responsibility/Ujima
Accountability & Reliabililty
Cooperative Economic/Ujamaa
Shared Wealth
Purpose/Nia
Service and Mission-Driven
Creativity/Kuumba
Continuous Improvement
Faith/Imani
Hope and Confidence
