The Perfect Way to Celebrate Black History Month

Black History is an equally important part of all of the histories of the USA and it is something that should not be celebrated just for a month. It should be acknowledged all year long. We should appreciate the contributions of black people to the culture and development of the United States. But while absolutely worthy of celebration, the stories of African American contributions to our culture and history have become repetitive over the years. In this article, we will find out the best way to celebrate Black History Month.

Celebrate Black History Month

National Museum of African American History & Culture

If you have a list of cities to visit in different states of the US, add a visit to this museum in Washington DC. As part of the Smithsonian, it’s filled with collections and exhibits that will move and inspire you. You’ll see art and artifacts that span our nation’s history. The museum directors believe that this museum is for all Americans to better understand our nation’s history through the African American lens.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ ou may have been assigned to read Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous letter in your high school English class. There’s no better time to read it again. The letter is considered a key document in the Civil Rights Movement, but it’s also a great work of literature. In the letter, written in 1963, Dr. King argues movingly for nonviolent resistance to racism. His letter is all the more powerful because it’s written from a jail cell—King had been arrested during a peaceful protest against segregation.

Hidden Figures

This beloved movie follows the stories of three black women scientists working at NASA during the Civil Rights era. You’ll see their amazing contributions from within a culture of discrimination and inequality. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae shine as the science and math whizzes who play key roles in America’s space race.

Colson Whitehead’s ‘The Underground Railroad’

Whitehead’s riveting, can’t-put-it-down novel won the National Book Award, the Man Booker Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It’s just that good. Whitehead sets his story during the 1800s in the American South. Everything is just how you’d expect, only skewed weird and slightly different. The story follows an escaped slave on her terrifying journey north. The “underground railroad” she traverses is a literal series of below-ground trains. This is a searing and chilling must-read portrait of American history.

Loving

Watch this acclaimed drama about the landmark Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia. Interracial marriage was still illegal in some states until 1967. The movie follows the real-life couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, who was sentenced to a year in jail for marrying. Ruth Negga was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. Joel Edgerton plays her devoted husband in this inspiring love story set within profound injustice.

I Am Not Your Negro

Raoul Peck’s acclaimed documentary is an absolute must-see. It’s based on one of writer Jame’s Baldwin’s unfinished manuscripts, but it shines a light on the racism throughout America’s history. Baldwin lived and wrote during the Civil Rights era, and the film explores his experience with friends and allies such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers. Samuel L. Jackson narrates this powerful portrait of Baldwin’s towering intellect and the time in which he lived and wrote. It’s an essential history lesson with a huge impact.

National Great Blacks in Wax Museum

This Baltimore museum aims to educate and motivate by focusing on great leaders in African American history. You’ll see exhibitions spanning black history from roots in Africa to the Harlem Renaissance to Civil Rights to Inventors and Modern Leaders and everything in between. You’ll see life-size wax figures of Harriet Tubman, Billie Holiday, and many other historical figures who bring history to life in an environment that inspires.

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