Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute
My daughter’s 4th grade class is celebrating Black History Month in the most wonderful way by creating a version of Kente cloth. While it’s traditionally made with silk and cotton interweaving threads, her class used pens, paints, and colored pencils to create theirs.
Kente cloth is believed to have originated from the Akan people in West Africa*. The designs are traditionally bright, geometric, and bold. Additionally, the colors and shapes are usually symbolic of historic events, family trees, the seasons, and proverbs. (The Smithsonian Institute has wonderful information online about their “Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity” exhibition)
Making Kente cloths in your library is just one of many ideas to celebrate Black History Month. Texas Library Club has a wonderful list of books, songs, and activities – including a way of making Kente cloths by weaving strips of paper together.
We’d also love to recommend these books for your Black History Month displays:
- BARACK by Jonah Winter, illustrated by AG Ford
- BLACK IS BROWN IS TAN by Arnold Adoff, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
- BOYCOTT BLUES by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney (download the Teacher’s Guide)
- THE GREAT MIGRATION by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
- SHE LOVED BASEBALL by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Don Tate
- THIS IS THE DREAM by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander, illustrated by James Ransome
- WE TROUBLED THE WATERS by Ntozake Shang, illustrated by Rod Brown
And you can also download our Black History Month Classroom Kit.
What are you doing at your library to celebrate Black History Month? We’d love to hear your ideas (or even photos of any displays you’ve created)!
* As a former librarian, I have to share this disclaimer: I got my information from Wikipedia.
Add a Comment