Black History

Black History is an All Ages Award from the Girl Scouts of insert name of council Council.

Brownies complete Four activities & one “Take Action”
Juniors complete eight activities including one from each group.
Cadettes, Seniors, & Ambassadors complete ten activities including a minimum of two from each group.

# Discover

1. 1. 1. What is Gullah Geechee? Where would you traditionally find this group of people? One of Georgia’s largest cash crops is often referred to as “Gubers;” where did the word “Guber” originate? What other Georgia cash crop was often associated with the skills of the ancestors of the Gullah Geechee community?

2. INVESTIGATE: How did many Africans come to this land? Why? Were all early African Americans slaves? What were some of the occupations held by free people of color?
3. Walk through Savannah Historic District. Try to Identify Savannah Gray Bricks. Who made those bricks?
4. What religion(s) influenced African Americans most? List 3 traditional religions of African Americans and give a brief history of their origins.
5. What was the Underground Railroad? What art form did many people use to communicate with each other while traveling on this “Railroad?”
6. Learn one “Negro Spiritual” and discuss its’ meaning.
7. Learn about the history of the Kazoo. Where & by whom was it “invented?” Where had similar instruments been used for centuries? What are some of the records for the most kazoo players playing Together? Buy or make kazoos for your troop & play some songs.
8. Research to find three historic games of young African Americans. Demonstrate and play one of them with your troop.
9. What is Kwanzaa? When and for what purpose was it created? What are the seven principles of Kwanzaa?
10. WHO ARE THEY? Below you will find a list of a few prominent African Americans who were either from our Council areas or who influenced the lives of many in our area. Let’s see what you already know or can find out about these individuals! (Brownies – 2; Juniors – 6; & Cadettes, Seniors, & Ambassadors – 10).
* + - * + - Eugene Jacques Ballard
					- Tunis Campbell
					- Henry O. Flipper
					- James & Patrick Healy
					- John Hope
					- Vernon Jordan
					- Susie King - Taylor
					- Mother Matilda Beasley
					- Austin Dabney
					- Ralph Mark Gilbert
					- “Mammy” Kate “Heard”
					- Charlayne Hunter-Gault
					- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
					- Lucy Craft Laney
					- W. W. Law
					- “Pink” Morton
					- Jackie Robinson
					- Alice Walker
					- Herschel Walker
					- Ralph Metcalfe
					- Elijah Muhammad
					- Harriett Tubman
					- Charles Thomas Walker
					- Frank Yerby

Can you think of someone else who should be listed? How did they touch the lives of those who knew them or influence us today?
# Connect

1. 1. 1. Create a story about famous African Americans. (Include at least six in your story.)

2. Visit one of the following places: the King–Tisdell Cottage, Beach Institute, The Ralph Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, First African Baptist Church, Springfield Baptist Church, Morton Theater, the Lucy C. Laney Museum, Dorchester Academy, Pleasant Hill Historic District, or the Tubman Museum.
3. Take a “Black History” Tour of your town or a nearby city.
4. Visit the library, archives, or historical society and review old newspaper articles regarding slavery, emancipation, reconstruction, segregation, integration, and / or the civil rights movement. Report the headline, names, dates, and some basic information about the articles to your troop.
5. Visit an historical African American congregation in your area. What are some their traditions as a congregation? Are any of those traditions based on African traditions?
6. Create a “Who am I skit” based on the life and accomplishments of a prominent African American from your community (past or present).
7. Write a poem about an African American that you think people should know more about or make a small model of a famous event in history that involved African Americans.
8. Create a dance using music from (at least one) famous African Americans (past or present) or learn a dance that was first made popular by the African American community in a certain area.
9. Below you will find a listing of some of the more prominent singers, song writers & musicians from our area. Listen to a musical selection from at least one artist on the list.
* + - * + - Jessye Norman
					- Thomas A. Dorsey
					- "Blind Tom" Bethune
					- Gertrude "Ma" Rainey
					- "Blind" Willie McTell
					- Ray Charles
					- Lena Horne
					- Otis Redding
					- James Brown

10. Plan a games day & include old games from previous generations.
11. Attend or participate in the annual MLK Parade or attend a Black Heritage Festival or Concert.
12. See a play during Black History Month or participate in a dance / theater activity that relates to Black History.
13. Read a story or poem written by a Black American to your troop or group at the library.
# Take Action

1. 1. 1. Create a Black History display for a community center, church, library, or school

2. Using troop funds, purchase a book for your library (school or town) on a person or subject pertaining to Black History About whom you think people should know.
3. Arrange (sponsor, provide refreshments, etc.) for a free public showing of a video dealing with African – American History at your local library.
4. Plan an event for your school, Service Unit, Church, or Community celebrating an African American Holiday or Observance (Such as Martin Luther King Day or Kwanzaa).
5. Volunteer at an African American church “homecoming,” an African American Heritage event sponsored by your community or government, or at an African American Heritage Festival (such as the Sea Island Festival).
6. Help conduct Oral Histories of older members of an African American community to help preserve their memories for the future. Some people to consider interviewing are: members of a disappearing historic African American community, African American veterans (especially World War II or Korea), Older African Americans who can remember what it was like growing up during the Depression or before the Civil Rights Movement, etc.
7. Ask your City Council or County Administration to recognize someone in your community for their contributions. Make sure to approach your local government first to find out the proper steps to nominate someone for recognition.
8. Write an article for your local newspaper on one of your African American heroes.

# External Links

Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia Council's Own
Black History