By Angela Padrón
Black History Month is one of the most important topics to teach in classrooms. For several Hispanic countries, this celebration is also relevant. Many Latino countries’ populations have African origins as well. Slaves began to be brought from Africa to the New World by early Spanish and Portuguese explorers, including Christopher Columbus. In fact, Brazil now has the largest population of African people outside of the continent of Africa. So not only can students in Spanish classrooms learn about prominent African Americans, but they can also learn about people of African decent from their own countries.
There are limited resources to teaching about Black History Month in Spanish, so teachers often have to adapt materials for their Spanish curriculum. However, Santillana has published several books in Spanish about famous people that can be introduced to students, such as:
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In addition, other books discuss different events relevant to Black History Month, such as the March on Washington with ¿Qué fue la Marcha de Washington? and Martin Luther King’s birthday with Celebra el Día de Martin Luther King, Jr. con la clase de la Sra. Park.
No matter what language students speak, Black History Month can be taught and promoted. Between showing photographs and videos of famous African Americans to find the appropriate resources printed in Spanish, even students in Spanish classrooms can learn about the significance of this important month each year.
