This month, as teachers nationwide work to include highlights of African American history in their lesson plans, they are also challenged to make sure that themes of diversity and integration are carried through the curriculum year-round.
Schools, more than any other outlet, have perhaps the best opportunity to emphasize that black history is one and the same as American history — as encouraged in these reminders from Teaching Tolerance’s “Do’s and Don’ts of Black History Month.” Otherwise, February will remain the way it’s satirized in former Onion staffer Baratunde Thurston‘s book How to Be Black. Thurston writes “odds are high that you acquired this book during the nationally sanctioned season for purchasing black cultural objects, also known as Black History Month,” going on to suggest other ways the reader can celebrate the month.
We hope our list of books for Black History Month goes beyond February and offers some new sources that teachers will find useful year-round in “shifting the lens” — adding depth and relevance to historical events and periods by beginning with minority perspectives.
Adams Book Company 
