African American History--365 Days a Year

We all know that the month of February is designated for Black History Month, but we actually celebrate Black History Month everyday. One great online resource celebrating our contributions is Blackpast.org.

Blackpast is a website that is truly a one-stop shopping resource focusing on various aspects of African American history. Developed by Dr. Quintard Taylor, a history professor at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA), this website focuses on three main areas—African American History, African American History in the West, and Global African History. Blackpast has over 3,000 pages of information focusing on people, places, institutions, organizations and events, such as the March on Washington in 1963 and the Detroit Riots of 1943 and 1967.

In addition to being a fan of Blackpast, I had the opportunity to contribute a few descriptions of African American chemists, including Dr. Nathaniel Oglesby Calloway, Dr. Percy L. Julian, and Dr. Saint Elmo Brady, the first African American to earn a PhD in chemistry in 1916 (University of Illinois).

Although there are numerous books and other great resources celebrating our history, I believe that Blackpast.org is truly an excellent teaching tool for students, teachers and everyone that has an interest in African American history. Black history is American history. Check out Blackpast for yourself.

www.blackpast.org

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