Black History Month is so important because a people who forget their history will continue with the same failures. We see this proven to be true every day in our country.

One of the failures of our country is the way the public school system handles black history because, well, they dont. There is a moment in my boys time at school where some teacher will bring up a cute story of MLK and move to the next topic. So it is crucial that we talk about these things in our home.

When I think about the history of African Americans & teaching that to my African American sons, I am reminded of the importance of highlighting so many great men & women. I want them to know their history isn’t just slavery but victory, courage, & so much more. Noah is starting to get to an age where he is beginning to understand things more & Uriah is just curious. Ezrah, well he’s 1, enough said. I chose to introduce some black history to my boys this year for the 1st time while trying to make it age appropriate for them.

I want my sons to know they are made for greatness & their skin is just a gift given to them by God, even though the history of their country may tell them otherwise. They will live their lives reminded of their skin color, that’s facts whether we like it or not. So I want to tell them of men & women who looked like them & literally changed the world. Men & women who faced hardship, struggle, & even death so that they could live freely in this country. Sharing stories with them of greatness like Martin Luther King jr. & Ruby Bridges is a way to make them aware yet encourage them to be brave. It is so important to me that even at a young age I am teaching my children reality followed by hope.

The reality is, the history of their country says they are unequal, unworthy, & unloveable. The hope is the brave men & women who came before them. The hope is Jesus, & the love that He freely gave to ALL people. So along with the Word of God I am finding books & activities to navigate Black History Month with my sons even though they are only 4 & 2 years old; & it is important that you do this too. Even if your children’s skin doesn’t look like ours it is equally important to make this month matter in your house. We have the power as mothers to make the generation to come so much stronger, kinder, & better.

My hope in introducing these things to them at a young age is that they will never be caught off guard, never be ignorant to these truths, & never forget how far we have come. Just like talking to them about Jesus, I want to grab their attention on these things as soon as I possibly can. You can find links to these books below.