+
Handout
Other

African American Inventors and Their Inventions: Granville T. Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a thorough biography of inventor Granville T. Woods, who is credited with improving railway safety for bot the trains and trainmen. Find out what concepts in railroad safety are still being used today.
+
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: w.e.b. Du Bois

For Students 3rd - 5th
A brief biography of famous African-American, W.E.B. Du Bois. Read about his activism and his attempts to improve race relations. Hyperlinks to additional information about this important man.
+
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Malcolm X Facts and Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
This short biography and fact sheet provides interesting details about the life, times, and history of Malcolm X, a symbol for the black power movement.
+
Unit Plan
New York Times

New York Times: Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
An outstanding collection of materials for learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. Students can engage in a text-to-text analysis of 'I Have a Dream' and 'The Lasting Power of Dr. King's Dream Speech'
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Dick Gregory

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Dick Gregory, an African-American comedian, civil rights activist, and spokesman for health issues, who became nationally recognized in the 1960s for a biting brand of comedy that attacked...
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Don Byas

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Don Byas, a black American jazz tenor saxophonist whose improvising was an important step in the transition from the late swing to the early bop eras.
+
Graphic
Curated OER

Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography: American Indians: Black Hawk

For Students 9th - 10th
Scroll down to the portrait of Black Hawk to read a brief biography of this famous Native American chief. From the Smithsonian Institution.
+
Handout
Other

Maria Martinez Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Maria Martinez and her amazing life accomplishments as a Native American potter. Includes fantastic pictures of both her and her work.
+
Lesson Plan
Utah State University

Teacher Link: Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights

For Teachers K - 1st
Come and check out this lesson plan focused on the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. Learners will be able to identify the important events in the life of this famous African-American leader.
+
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Margaret Garner Incident (1856)

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief encyclopedia entry explores the Margaret Garner Incident, one of the most famous fugitive slave trials and the inspiration for Toni Morrison's book and film Beloved.
+
Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Famous Americans: Booker T. Washington

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Postal Service provides brief biographical details on Booker T. Washington, black educator involved with the Tuskegee Institute. He was featured on the United States Postage ten cent stamp.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Bell Hooks

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features bell hooks, an American scholar whose work examined the varied perceptions of black women and black women writers and the development of feminist identities.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Julius Rosenwald

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical sketch of the life of Julius Rosenwald, an American merchant and unorthodox philanthropist who opposed the idea of perpetual endowments and frequently offered large philanthropic gifts on condition that they be matched by...
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Ru Paul

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about RuPaul, the American entertainer who carved out an idiosyncratic place in popular culture as perhaps the most famous drag queen in the United States in the 1990s and early 21st century.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Sonia Sanchez

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical details on American poet, playwright, and educator, Sonia Sanchez, who was noted for her black activism.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: William Julius Wilson

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical details on William Julius Wilson, an American sociologist whose views on race and urban poverty helped shape U.S. public policy and academic discourse.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Naomi Ruth Sims

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief biographical details on American model and business executive, Naomi Ruth Sims, who was the first black supermodel to adorn the cover of Ladies' Home Journal.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Charles Clinton Spaulding

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief account of the life of Charles Spaulding, American business leader who built the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company into the nation's largest black-owned business by the time of his death, when it was worth about $40...
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Guion S. Bluford, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief biographical sketch of the life and career of the first African American launched into space.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Charles Spurgeon Johnson

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Charles Spurgeon Johnson, a U.S. sociologist, authority on race relations, and the first black president (1946-56) of Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn. (established in 1867 and long...
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Howard Thurman

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical account of Howard Thurman, an American Baptist preacher and theologian, the first African American dean of chapel at a traditionally white American university, and a founder of the first interracial interfaith congregation...
+
Handout
Other

Famous Texans: Bill Pickett

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the life of William Pickett, "a legendary cowboy from Taylor, Texas of black and Indian descent."
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Byllye Avery

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Byllye Avery, an American health care activist whose efforts centred on bettering the welfare of low-income African American women through self-help groups and advocacy networks.
+
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Maggie Lena Draper Walker

For Students 9th - 10th
Summarizes the life of Maggie Lena Draper Walker, an American businesswoman, who played a major role in the organizational and commercial life of Richmond's African-American community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.