Urbandale Community School District: Celebrating Black History: African American Museum Of Iowa

Press release from the Urbandale Community School District:

February 25, 2021

The African American Museum of Iowa, located in Cedar Rapids, is the only statewide museum devoted to preserving African American history and culture. Their mission includes exhibiting and teaching African American heritage of Iowa. The Museum educates over 30,000 people each year through museum tours, traveling exhibits, research services, youth and adult education programs, and community and fundraising events. Learn more about the collections and exhibits that trace Iowa’s African American history from its origins to the present by visiting the African American Museum of Iowa website. (Note: Information courtesy of the African American Museum of Iowa).

A handful of highlights and resources include:

• Hear first-hand accounts of life as an African American in Iowa by watching videos from the African American Museum’s oral history projects.
• Explore contemporary social movements from Black Lives Matter to #MeToo and more in the Museum’s newest exhibit: Unwavering: 21st Century Activism.
• The African American Museum of Iowa’s collection chronicles the history and culture of Iowa’s African American community. These collections preserve African American history for future generations and contribute to a deeper understanding of Iowa’s African American heritage. Explore the online collections database.

February 19, 2021

We welcome you to view, read, and listen to these additional resources about Black History Month shared by our UCSD Coordinator of Equity & Inclusion Ryan Williamson. You may wish to pick a few activities to do together with your children at home. Our thanks to Mr. Williamson for sharing these resources and updates!

• 34 Black History Month Activities: a host of lessons and projects students can implement to support their learning.
• Beyond Color Blind Podcast: Podcast designed to discuss the impact of racism in the United State of America.
• Center for Racial Justice in Education: provides a host of articles and lesson plans to support Black History Month.
• PBS Black History Month Resources: Celebrate Black History Month with resources that cover topics ranging from the civil rights movement to current events.

UMS students and staff created this fantastic Periodic Table of Black History which contains information about various Black leaders, activists, athletes, inventors, artists, and scientists. An amazing piece of art that students can engage with on a daily basis. Thank you to Mr. Williamson for sharing this with UCSD. Well-done, UMS!

February 1, 2021

Black History Month is an annual celebration and recognition of the extraordinary accomplishments of Black Americans. Black History Month began in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a renowned Black American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher, and was originally referred to as “Negro History Week.” It became a month-long annual celebration first acknowledged by the U.S. Government in 1976 under the leadership of President Gerald Ford. Since 1976, every U.S. President has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. The celebration is held in February in order to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln; both men having made positive and lasting contributions to the lives of Black Americans. We celebrate this month to recognize the outstanding achievements of Black Americans throughout the years as part of our collective American history.

(Source: History.com, Black History Month, January 2010)

Learn more about Black History Month:

• Pan-African Flag (red, black, green seen in the graphic for this article)
• Iowa PBS Black History Month
• Check out how Apple is celebrating Black History Month
• Ted Talks to celebrate Black History Month
• History.com
• African American History Month
• Biography.com
• Association for the Study of African American Life and History

You’re welcome to download this graphic (sized for Twitter) and share in your social media posts celebrating Black History Month!

This press release was produced by the Urbandale Community School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.