This year’s focus is “African Americans and the Arts”

A message from our Civil Rights Team:

Civil Rights Teams exist because we believe that schools should be a place where everyone feels safe, welcome, and respected for who they are.  However, sometimes everyday practices, behaviors, and attitudes negatively impact the ability of those in the school community to feel safe, welcome, and respected. Civil Rights Teams help facilitate these conversations to help reduce bias and misunderstanding of these topics. The mission of the Civil Rights Team is to think and talk about issues related to race and skin color, national origin and ancestry, religion, disabilities, gender, including gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation.

We celebrate Black History Month, which began in 1976,  to recognize marginalized people who have been overlooked in their contributions to society because of their skin color. It is celebrated in February because both Abraham Lincoln, who emancipated slaves, and Frederick Douglass, who was an African-American abolitionist and a former slave, both have birthdays in February.

In years past, the focus has been on “Black Resistance,” “Black Health and Wellness,” and “The Black Family:  Representation, Identity, and Diversity.”  This year’s focus is “African Americans and the Arts.”

The Civil Rights Team created a slideshow celebrating the contributions of African Americans to the arts, such as filmmakers, visual artists, musicians, authors, actors, dancers, and photographers. We encourage you to check out the bulletin boards and the attached slideshow to learn more about Black artists. 

Additionally, check out the library windows which showcase Black authors.