Celebrating Black History Month
For this year’s Black History event, Assistant Director of College Success, Christine Harding, facilitated a discussion among TEAK’s staff on reimagining practice and solutions to pressing issues faced by Black students. The conversation was rooted in themes of (Afro)futurist thought; a movement that reclaims Black identity through art, history, and political resistance. The staff explored the alignment between futurist thinking and TEAK’s work with students and families: TEAK’s work is rooted in reimagining equitable futures in education.
During the discussion, staff watched two videos from scholar poets Clint Smith and Jamila Lyiscott, exploring themes of Black identity, voice, and language/multilingualism. In addition to the conversation, the Culture Committee compiled a list of Black History Month Recommendations, including movies, tv shows, podcasts, and local NYC eateries!
Black History Month Resources
Videos:
Clint Smith, The Danger of Silence
“We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don’t,” says poet and teacher Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice.”
Jamila Lyiscott, 3 Ways to Speak English
“Jamila Lyiscott is a “tri-tongued orator;” in her powerful spoken-word essay “Broken English,” she celebrates — and challenges — the three distinct flavors of English she speaks with her friends, in the classroom and with her parents. As she explores the complicated history and present-day identity that each language represents, she unpacks what it means to be “articulate.”
Recommended Black Movies that highlight the Mutifactuated Black experience
Soul
The Photograph
Spider-Man: Into the Universe
Southside with You
The LoveBirds
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
The Incredible Jessica James
Becoming
Homecoming
Uncorked
Girls Trip
Guess Who
The Wood
Love and Basketball
The Best Man
Jingle Jangle
Coming to America
One Night in Miami
Judas and the Black Messiah
One night in Miami
Recommended TV Shows
Black-ish
Family Matters
Insecure
Pose
Living Single
Recommended Books
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE BY TOMI ADEYEMI
You Should See Me in a Crown By Leah Johnson
Who’s Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour edited by Sareeta Domingo
With the Fire on High By Elizabeth Acevado
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Sulwe By Lupita Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Bad Hair Does Not Exist/Pelo Malo No Existe by Sulma Arzu-Brown
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America by Ibi Zoboi
Recommended Podcasts
Codeswitch
Intersectionality Matters!
Small Doses with Amanda Seales
Come Through with Rebecca Carroll
Black-owned NY Businesses
The Lit Bar
Harlem Hops
180 Black-Owned Businesses
Black-owned NY Restaurants
Seasoned Vegan
Uptown Veg
LA Sweets NY
Black-Owned Restaurants by Borough
If you have any other recommendations, please share them in the comments section below!