Experience Black History Month
Family Activities for Celebrating African and Caribbean Cultures
Learn about Black history as a family by trying new recipes, reading books, watching a play or taking on a project that celebrates African and Caribbean heritage.
Black History Month is the perfect time to discuss cultural awareness issues with kids and to explore flavours, traditions and activities from African and Caribbean countries. Try some of these ideas as a starting point to explore many cultures all year long.
Take on a Family Research Project
- Learn about a different country in Africa or the Caribbean. Every member of the family could research one aspect of the country such as the population, languages spoken and where it is on a map. Younger children could draw a picture or write a story about what one day in a child’s life would be like in that country.
- Find out how to speak three phrases in the primary language of the country as part of the family project.
- Research an influential person, such as a politician or inventor, in the movement of Black rights in North America.
Try a New Food
- Go to the produce aisle and try a fruit or vegetable from the Caribbean or Africa that your family has not tried before such as plantains, figs or guava.
- Make a meal commonly eaten in Africa or the Caribbean regions. The kid friendly Spinach and Peanut Butter Stew and the Caribbean staple of Rice and Peas are good recipes to start with. They may even become family favourites!
Read Books Written by African and Caribbean Storytellers
- Canadian Author, Adwoa Badoe, has a number of children’s pictures books depicting African folktales including The Pot of Wisdom: Ananse Stories (Groundwood Books, 2001) and a non-fiction title called African Dance (Scholastic Canada, 2007).
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1991) and When Africa was Home by Karen Lynn Williams (Orchard Books, 1991) both address issues of racial difference in North America and in Africa.
- Dirk McLean's book, Steel Drums and Ice Skates (Douglas and McIntyre Ltd., 1996), tells the story of a young girl who has immigrated to Canada from Trinidad and the sadness she feels for her home country.
- Trouble Make Monkey Eat Pepper by Rita Cox (Kids Can Press, 1977) is based on a Caribbean folktale about how a curious nature can lead to interesting predicaments.
- Illustrator Kadir Nelson has created a beautiful version of the Black spiritual He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2005) making it a bedtime favourite.
Enjoy a Cultural Experience
- Attend a local cultural community event or visit an art gallery exhibit featuring works from Black artists.
- See a live theatre performance such as Umoja or African Footprint. Some performances are also available for rent on DVD.
- Go to a fundraising concert benefiting people who live in Africa or the Caribbean.
Although February brings an awareness of Black history and culture all over the world, use this opportunity to explore the diversity of the world’s population in general. Talking to kids about the wonderful contributions that people from many different backgrounds make will go a long way to creating caring and compassionate adults who accept people for who they are.
