Every February, we are honored to participate in Black History Month festivities and events that honor the legacy of Black individuals and their communities. We are excited to highlight and amplify Black contributors in early childhood education.
As the world moves toward a more inclusive and equitable social trajectory, there is a greater understanding that Black history should not be relegated to the month of February. However, we feel privileged to share in the amplification of Black contributors to early education this month and beyond. We will be highlighting some notable Black children’s singers, content creators, educators, and children’s book authors that everyone can rely on!
Notable Black children’s singers:
Erykah Badu – Known for her time on Sesame Street!!
Ziggy Marley – Bob’s Marley’s son who has a children’s album entitled Family Time!
Ella Jenkins – Recorded with children from the Smithsonian Institution Early Enrichment Center!
Andre 3000 – He created a hit TV show called Class of 3000 that follows superstar and music teacher Sunny Bridges who teaches a group of students at Atlanta, Georgia’s Westley School of Performing Arts.
Gigi Gumspoon – Her songs are catchy and often appeal to grownups!
Honorable mentions:
- Secret Agent 23 Skidoo – GOTTA BE ME – raps about diversity and inclusion
- Raffi – Black Lives Matter To Me – Raffi’s node to the Black Lives Matter movement
Notable Black content creators/educators:
Sincerely Onyi – a 30 something Nigerian American trying to juggle life as a working Mom of 2 littles, maintaining a long-distance marriage all while practicing medicine as a Physician Assistant!
The Cinnamon Mom – a teacher turned stay at home mom of two sharing recipes, parent survival tips, and children’s activities!
Greg Coleman – better known as Mr. Elementary Math, sharing resources to make math clear and fun!
Darius Phelps – 2016 Georgia AEYC “Childcare Giver of the Year” Recipient!
Ty’Heim Clark – a child care coach/consultant who also has his own clothing line! Check out his The Preschool Podcast episode here.
Jordana Shakoor – Founder of JYS Consultants and PosiPower Concepts. Check her out on our HiMama Helps webinar here.
Anisha Angella – Early childhood coach, speaker, and consultant. Check her out on The Preschool Podcast talking about overcoming educator burnout here.
Chazz Lewis – Teacher and parent coach with a large TikTok following. Check him out on our HiMama Helps webinar here!
Related article: Check out our list of Early Childhood Leaders to Celebrate for Black History Month!
Notable children’s books by Black authors:
Look Up! By Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola
Change Sings by Amanda Gorman & Loren Long
Hair Love by Matthew Cherry & Vashti Harrison
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
We’re Going to Find the Monster by Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o & Vashti Harrison
We hope that you join us in amplifying Black voices in education. This is by no means an exhaustive list of Black voices in early childhood education, so if you know any resources created by BIPOC that you’d like to see featured on this list, please let us know in our private Facebook group for early childhood educators!
We look forward to continuing to share these important resources and amplifying Black voices within our community!
