EVERYONE CAN CELEBRATE
BLACK HISTORY MONTH!
Multi-Generational Programming
By Karen L. Simonetti ©1998-2002
(1875-1950) was born to parents who had been slaves. Neither his Mother nor Father could read or write. Mr. Woodson had to work to earn money for the family and did not start school until later than most children. But, his motto was it is "never to late to learn." He became a high school teacher; and was sad to discover that none of the schools taught the history of Black Americans. He started the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History to study the important things Black people had accomplished and on February 19, 1926 Woodson established "Negro History Week".
Can you find a photograph of the United States post office issued stamp
honoring Carter G. Woodson? (Hint: It was issued in 1984.) Do you like it?
There are many other stamps honoring black Americans. This year is the 100th birthday of a famous black American poet. The United States Postal Service will issue a stamp honoring him during the first week of February 2002. Do you know who he is? [Keep reading below to find out who he is!]
The stories, poems and songs of a people share the true spirit and impact of their contribution to society. The below is a short list of my favorites; please feel free to write me with some of your favorites! I’d love to add them to the website!
The Knee-High Man and Other Tales. Illustrated by Ralph Pinto. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1972.
Mr. Lester is the author of books for children and adults. He is a professor at the University of Massachusetts where he studies stories and songs of Afro-American people, teaches on a variety of subjects; continues to write novels and other works.
| Favorite Stories: |
"Why Dogs Hate Cats"
"Why the Waves Have Whitecaps"
"Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear"
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Illustration from "A Tale About Little Rabbits." Taken from the first Remus volume (1881)
The People Could Fly. American Black Folktales. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985.
Virginia Hamilton (1936-2002) was the author of many books for school age children. She won both national and international awards. She was the first black writer to win the Newbery Medal Medal in 1974 for her book MC Higgins, the Great. Other honors included the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (1995), the Coretta Scott King Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award (in 1968 for The House of Dies Drear, only her second novel), and the Hans Christian Andersen Award (1992).
She said of her own work:
"I write of the black experience... I attempt in each book to take hold of one single theme of the black experience and present it as clearly as I can.... You might well ask, what is it I'm getting at. Not actually knowing, I sense that finding out is the reason I persist. I sense also that finding out is far less important than the quest and the pleasure of writing along the way."
For more about this most cherished writer, go to: www.virginiahamilton.com
| Favorite Stories: |
"Little Eight John"
"Peculiar Such Thing"
Draw a picture of that "Peculiar Such Thing". Draw it as if he would star in his own horror movie! Or if he just showed up in one of your dreams one night...or worse... fell out of your locker at school!
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Soul Looks Back In Wonder. Illustrated by Tom Feelings; poems by Maya Angelou , et.al. New York: Dial Books, 1993.
In 1971, Tom Feelings became the first African-American artist to win a Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in Moja Means One. He has also received the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and has been cited as the recipient of an ALA Notable Book..
| Favorite Poems: |
"I Love the Look of Words" by Maya Angelou
"I am the creativity" by Alexis De Veaux
"To You" by Langston Hughes (see below)
Do you write poetry? Try to write a short poem about one of your favorite African-American heroes, legends or stars; then illustrate it. The person need not be someone famous; just someone who is a hero to you. The poem need not be in any special format or length. Let your imagination soar!
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"To You"
©1993 by the Estate of Langston Hughes
To sit and dream, to sit and read,
To sit and learn about the world
Outside our world of here and now---
Our problem world---
To dream of vast horizons of the soul
Through dreams made whole,
Unfettered, free--- help me!
All you who are dreamers too,
Help me to make
Our world anew.
I reach out my dreams to you.
James Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1901. To celebrate the centennial of Langston Hughes' birth, on February 1, 2002 the United States Postal Service issued the above stamp. This is the 25th stamp in the Black Heritage Series. The stamp art is a 1946 black-and-white photograph taken in New York City by his friend, the renowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Although Hughes considered himself a poet first, he wrote in many literary genres, from short stories to drama. His innovative poetry combined jazz, blues and the black vernacular with the traditions of poetry in English. Admired in his own time, Hughes is now considered one of the most important American writers of the 20th century.
Langston Hughes wrote during the period known as the Harlem Renaissance; he said, "I tried to write poems like the songs they sang on Seventh Street...(these songs) had the pulse beat of the people who keep on going." In 1926, The Nation published Langston Hughes' essay "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" which boldly proclaimed:
"We younger Negro artists now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they aren't, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too... If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, as strong as we know how and we stand on the top of the mountain, free within ourselves."
For over forty years Langston Hughes devoted his life to writing and lecturing. He wrote sixteen books of poems, two novels, three collections of short stories, four volumes of "editorial" and "documentary" fiction, twenty plays, children's poetry, musicals and operas, three autobiographies, a dozen radio and television scripts and dozens of magazine articles and edited seven anthologies. Langston Hughes died on May 22, 1967. His residence in Harlem, New York has been given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission and the East 127th Street was renamed "Langston Hughes Place."
The celebration of Langston Hughes' life, work and writings will continue all throughout 2002.
In April 2002, National Poetry Month celebrations will bring special attention to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Langston Hughes. He will be the sole focus of the National Poetry Month 2002 poster. There will be a special Langston Hughes Centenary Exhibit dedicated to his life and work. To find out more go to: www.poets.org/
Still bashful about writing poetry? Here's what Langston Hughes had to say, "...no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself..." So, don't be afraid! There truly isn't a wrong or right way to write a poem. Celebrate both Langston Hughes and yourself: Write a poem today!
Click here to send an e-greeting featuring Alice Walker's book about Langston Hughes
His real name was Huddie Ledbetter (1885-1949) and he grew up on a farm in Louisiana. Leadbelly grew up listening to all kinds of music: hoe-down, rags, field hollers, ballads, and spirituals. He learned, studied and performed all kinds of folk music. The largest collection of American Folk music ever preserved by a single performer was done by Leadbelly. He worked with people of all colour to collect the stories saved in their folk songs.
One of Leadbelly's most popular songs is "Bring Me Lil' Water Silvy." You can hear him singing it on a CD entitled, "Folkways: A Vision Revisited. The Original Performances of Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger." Other artists who have sung it are: Harry Belafonte ("Belafonte at Carnegie Hall"; Mr. Belafonte performed this live on April 19 and 20, 1959); and Sweet Honey in the Rock ("Folkways: A Vision Shared.") Notice how each artist sings the song a bit differently.
"Bring Me Lil' Water Silvy"
Words & Music by Huddie Ledbetter
Silvy and her husband are trying to get some work done in the fields.
Her husband is thirsty and begins to sing:
[Refrain:]
Bring me little water Silvy.
Bring me little water now,
Bring me little water Silvy.
Every little once in awhile.
Silvy’s Calls Back:
Don't you see me coming
don't you see me now
don't you see me coming
every little once in awhile.
He says, "I can't see you, the corn's too tall."
Refrain
Silvy Replies:
Don't you hear me coming
Don't hear me now
Don't you hear me coming
every little once in awhile.
She gets out to him and drinks that water down in one gulp and wants more.
She says to him, "Do you think I've got nothing to do but bring you glasses
of water all day?" He merely replies:
Bring it in a bucket Silvy
Bring it in a bucket now
Bring it in a bucket Silvy
every little once in awhile.
How would you sing this song? As a rap song? As a lullaby? As jazz or a golden oldie? Can you create a ballet or folk dance for this song? Draw a picture of Silvy and her husband! Write a short story about what Silvy and her husband, (what is his name anyway?) do that night after dinner.
Hopkinson, Deborah. A Band of Angels: A Story Inspired by the Jubilee Singers. Illustrated by Raul Colon.
New York: Atheneum, 1999.
Cooper, Michael. Slave Spirituals and the Jubilee Singers. New York: Clarion Books, 2001.
"Spirituals in Concert: Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman" Chorus and Orchestra conducted by James Levine; Recorded Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, 18 March 1990; © 1991 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg.
Duggleby, John. Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1998.
Lawrence, Jacob. Harriet and the Promised Land. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1968.
Ringgold, Faith. Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1992.
Ringgold, Faith. Tar Beach. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1991.
In addition to the books mentioned above, be sure to snag the below titles for more ways to learn about and celebrate the majesty of black history!
Carbone, Elisa. Stealing Freedom. New York: Dell Yearling. 1998.
Lester, Julius. The Last Tales of Uncle Remus: As Told by Julius Lester. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books, 1994.
Nelson, Marilyn. Carver: A Life In Poems. North Carolina: Front Street. 2001.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. New York: Harcourt, Inc. 2000.
Rockwell, Anne. Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2000.
Sullivan, Edward T. "Celebrating Langston Hughes", Book Links, December 2001/January 2002, pp.36-39 (Article Available for Download in PDF Format)
Walker, Alice. Langston Hughes: American Poet. Paintings by Catherine Deeter. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 2002.
Winter, Jeanette. Follow the Drinking Gourd. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1988.
Listen to "Follow the Drinking Gourd" on "The Weavers at Carnegie Hall": Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman; Recorded on December 24, 1995 – Carnegie Hall, New York; © 1988 Vanguard Records.
Words With Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art. Selected by Belinda Rochelle. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Please email your suggestions for ways to celebrate Black History not only during February, but all year long!
