Black+Past

__[|BlackPast.org] as a Tech Tool to Access Information__

BlackPast.org is a non-profit online reference organization based out of Seattle, Washington. Offering a database of over 1000 encyclopedic entries including biographies, speeches, and primary documents, this site is committed to providing accurate information and portrayals of African American history in the United States as well as histories of those of African ancestry around the world. In addition to providing this information, BlackPast also offers links to web resources dedicated to disseminating the history of Africa's diasphora, to dozens of African American museums across North America, and to archival organizations around the world. Further, this site explores how those of African heritage have shaped and influenced global events, making the "Black" experience relevant in terms of a worldwide phenomenon. Primarily relying on the work of volunteer historians from a variety of backgrounds BlackPast remains a truly grassroots attempt at telling the story of Black history.

How would I use this in the classroom? As a high school history/social studies educator, I would utilize this tool as a way to integrate Black history into the curriculum of my classroom on a non-token level. Because of its scope, BlackPast.org would allow me to introduce students to events and figures that have often been overlooked or ignored in traditional textbooks and school curriculum. Through this, I would hope to have my students achieve a more thorough understanding and deeper appreciation for Black history. I would also offer this as a reference for student projects or research papers. As a source of biographical accounts, timelines, and provocative images, BlackPast may help with creating a group timeline on the events revolving around the Scottsboro Boys' trial or with writing a paper on the civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. Further, through their own use and research of information on this site, students have the opportunity to discover a different way in perceiving and understanding the relevance of Black history.

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