Seniors are going to be leaving high school in just a few months time during February of their last year. Doing a Black History Month activity that reflects on their own history as well as Black history allows them to take what they learn with them into the world. Students should begin with whatever year they were in kindergarten, and research one important thing that happened for Blacks each year until their senior year in high school. Then, they can present their findings to the class or write about them in a paper. This allows them to see that while they have been in school, history has also been happening.
Seniors are looking towards the future during their senior year. Give them a Black History Month activity that also does so. Students can take one aspect of life for Black people anywhere around the world and research the positive outcomes that aspect can reach sometime in the future. They can find a country where a Black person has never been President, or a place where people of that race are still enslaved. Then, research what it would take to move that aspect into the positive future.
Many seniors are thinking about their own careers and what their next steps are going to be. They can do a project where they research their specific industry or career choice, or what they hope will be their industry in the future, and how Black history has impacted it. Some careers will be harder than others, but each student should be able to research the contributions that Blacks have made to their specific chosen path.
There are many different figures in Black history -- including Supreme Court Justices, civil rights leaders, industry pioneers and, more recently, a President. Most students will have learned about these figures during their early educational career. Have them revisit someone they studied early in school and create a presentation on that person. The presentation will obviously be more in-depth than it was when they were younger. The students can not only revisit someone that is important to Black history, but can also see how their own research and understanding skills have progressed while in school.