February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by Black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.

At Rocky Run we started this month off with a schoolwide Rock Time lesson on “The Danger of a Single Story.” Students had the opportunity to watch a portion of this video featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer, and then had time for discussion and reflection. We encourage you to continue these important conversations at home, perhaps by watching this video as a family and then sharing your own experiences and connections to Adichie’s message.

If you are interested in learning more, here are a few additional resources to get you started, shared from the Center for Racial Justice in Education:

• 45 Books to Teach Children About Black History  – The Culture
• African American History Month Resources for Parents – Adlit.org

This photo is of a display in our main corridor that features Instagram profiles for Black Americans who have shaped our nation through their achievements and leadership. Some of the Black Americans featured are Maya Angelou, Louis Armstrong, Amanda Gorman, Harriet Tubman, Claudette Colvin and Garret Morgan.