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# W O R L D x B H M S O C I A L A C T I V I T Y T O O L K I T 2

For more than 90 years, we have chosen February to mark the unique history, extraordinary challenges, and broad contributions of African Americans in the United States.

With this toolkit, WO R L D Channel invites you to engage your families, communities, and organizational constituencies in artistic expression, historical reflection, and the chance to promote the positive contributions of the people and communities that represent you.

Use the EASY ACTIVITIES and MEDIA LINKS in this toolkit on your own, with friends and family, or in your workplace or community space.

This Black History Month, WO R L D invites you to watch and engage with critically important film and TV content, such as the historical documentaries on our flagship series, “A M E R I C A R E F R A M E D… ”

WELCOME TO THE #WORLDxBHM

SOCIAL ACTIVITY TOOLKIT.

C H EC K OU T T H E B L AC K H I S TO RY MO N T H P RO G R A M G U I D E H E R E !

WO R L D Channel is a 24/7, full-service multicast channel featuring public television’s signature nonfiction documentary,

science, and news programming complemented by original content from emerging producers. You can find WORLD Channel

through your local PBS station and can access our programming directly on WO R LD Ch a n nel . org.

TWITTER.COM/WORLDCHANNEL

FACEBOOK.COM/WORLDCHANNEL

YOUTUBE.COM/WORLDCHANNEL

INSTAGRAM.COM/WORLDCHANNEL

SAMPLE SOCIAL

MEDIA POSTS &

SHARABLE

IMAGES ON

THE LAST

PAGE

# W O R L D x B H M S O C I A L A C T I V I T Y T O O L K I T 3

AG E N TS O F C H A N G E Agents of Change examines the racial conditions on college campuses across the U. S. in the late 1960s, focusing on student demands at two seminal protests: San Francisco State in 1968 and Cornell University in 1969. Many of the same demands are surfacing in campus protests today, revealing the intersections America continues to face. PREMIERES FEBRUARY 20, 2018 AT 8/7 C. Available to view online here.

G E N T L E M E N O F V I S I O N Follow a year in the life of coach, counselor, and founder, Marlon Wharton, and his class of young Black males as he strives to rewrite future prospects for his students. Witness a brotherhood of young men as they support each other and chase their ultimate dreams: to maintain their position as national step champions and to be accepted into college. PREMIERES FEBRUARY 6, 2018 AT 8/7C. Available to view online here.

BA D D D D D S O N I A SA N C H E Z The personal is political. BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez is a portrait of the artist, revealing her uncompromising life as she raised her voice in the name of black culture, civil rights, women’s liberation, and world peace. The film captures Sanchez’s commitment to cultural specificity while connecting history and humanities to the mainstream. PREMIERES FEBRUARY 27, 2018 AT 8/7. Available to view online here.

FO R A H K E E M Expelled from high school, Daje Shelton is only 17 years old when she is sentenced by a judge—not to prison, but to the Innovative Concept Academy. It offers Daje one last chance to earn a high school diploma. For Ahkeem is an unvarnished exploration of a complex web of juvenile justice, education, poverty and race in America today. PREMIERES FEBRUARY 13, 2018 AT 8/7C. Available to view online here.

A M E R I C A R E F R A M E D : F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8

www.FORAHKEEMFILM.com

forahkeem

a documentary film

# W O R L D x B H M S O C I A L A C T I V I T Y T O O L K I T 4

Inspired by Black Arts Movement poet Sonia Sanchez, we invite you to find your poetic voice this Black History Month. Try your hand at creating haikus inspired by images and ideas from WORLD’s Black History Month films and leaders or artist you especially admire. Additional images can be found, here.

- Post you r h ai k u an d t he i m age t h at i nspi re d i t on soc i al me d i a wi t h t he h asht ags # WO R L Dx B H M # B L AC K H I S TO RY P B S # H A I K U # BA D D D D DS O N I ASA N C H E Z

- If working in a group, read your haikus aloud to one another, and post them online.

ACTIVITY ONE

YOUR POETIC VOICE: BLACK HISTORY MONTH HAIKUS

H O W T O H A I K U :

Haikus are a traditional Japanese form of poetry that is easy and fun to create. They typically consist of seventeen syllables organized in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables each. Haikus can break this form if needed to fit a complex idea into the poem. Haikus do not need to rhyme.

In BA D D D D D S O N I A SA N C H E Z , the artist shares excerpts of 10 haiku (for Max Roach) from her book Morning Haiku. Below are the first and last haikus of that work as examples to follow…

M O D E L :

Five syllablesSeven syllablesFive syllables

# 1 H A I K U F O R M A X R O A C H

Nothing endsevery blade of grass

remembering your sound

# 1 0 H A I K U F O R M A X R O A C H

Your handsshimmering on the

legs of rain.

Listen to Sonia Sanchez read the full poem on NPR: NPR.ORG/TEMPLATES/STORY/STORY.PHP?STORYID=103122530

If you need more support, see this step-by-step process to creating haikus in TEACH Magazine: TEACHMAG.COM/ARCHIVES/7894

# W O R L D x B H M S O C I A L A C T I V I T Y T O O L K I T 5

Elevate the visibility of historical and present day Black American leaders and innovators by posting at least one Brief Bio per week to social media throughout Black History Month.

- M i x an d m atc h t he Brief Bios of fe re d he re o r c reate you r own . B e su re to use t he h asht ags # WO R L Dx B H M # B L AC K H I S TO RY P B S # U N SU N G B I OS wi t h you r post s .

ACTIVITY TWOBRIEF BIOS: BUILDING BLACK HISTORY, ONE PERSON AT A TIME

B R I E F B I O S F R O M T H E F I L M AG E N TS FO R C H A N G E :

» Danny Glover is an award-winning American actor, producer, and philanthropist who was also a member of the Black Student Union at San Francisco State University that helped establish a Department of Black Studies in 1969. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

» Harry Edwards, Ph.D. is an American sociologist and Civil Rights activist who advocated for Black American presence in professional sports and participated in the 1969 takeover at Cornell University. He became a professor at UC Berkeley. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

» Zachary W. Carter is the former U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and a criminal court judge despite being convicted in the 1969 takeover at Cornell University while protesting in support of a Black Studies Department. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

» Irene Smalls, award-winning author, historian, and literacy entrepreneur, was a member of the Black Student Union and a participant in the student strike that led to the first Black Studies Department and School of Ethnic Studies at Cornell University. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

B R I E F B I O S F R O M A M E R I C A N H I S T O R Y :

» Daisy Bates, Civil Rights activist known for her work in support of the Little Rock Nine, the nine Black students who were attending an all-White school in Little Rock, Arkansas as part of desegregation. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

» Bayard Rustin, one of the main organizers of the Civil Rights Movement and advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many believe his contributions have been overlooked due to Rustin being openly gay. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

» Barak Obama attended Harvard Law School, became a community organizer in Chicago, and was elected to the state legislature, the U.S. Senate and became the first African American president of the United States. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

» Aretha Franklin is a singer and songwriter from Detroit who has won 18 Grammy Awards, is credited for with helping to take blues music to broader popular audiences; she is the first woman of any race to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #UnsungBios

MUHAMMAD ALI WAS A HEAV YWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION DURING THE

1960S AND PERHAPS THE MOST CELEBRATED

SPORTS FIGURE IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

#WORLDXBHM #UNSUNGBIOS

“ FANNIE LOU HAMER, KEY PLAYER IN ORGANIZING

MISSISSIPPI’S FREE-DOM SUMMER FOR SNCC AND VICE-CHAIR OF THE

MISSISSIPPI FREEDOM DEMOCRATIC PART Y.

#WORLDXBHM #UNSUNGBIOS

“CLAUDET TE COLVIN, WAS AN ALABAMA TEENAGER WHO REFUSED TO GIVE

UP HER SEAT TO A WHITE PASSENGER ON A BUS

AND WAS ARRESTED NINE MONTHS BEFORE ROSA PARKS.#WORLDXBHM

#UNSUNGBIOS

“

# W O R L D x B H M S O C I A L A C T I V I T Y T O O L K I T 6

The young men of G E N T L E M E N O F V I S I O N , in many ways, have had to grow up quickly and with the mentorship of Coach Wharton exhibit a kind of wisdom that many don’t obtain until much later in life.

View the following short video clips, on your own or in a small group, and…

- Post one or more of the clips to your social media accounts and reflect on the wisdom in the clip that appeals or relates most to you.

- If viewing the clips in a group setting, watch them all and discuss which character’s perspective is most compelling and why.

- Identify a specific quote from one or more of the video clips that exemplifies a message you want to send and post the quote to social media with a link to the video.

- B e su re to t ag you r pos t # WO R L Dx B H M # B L AC K H I S TO RY P B S # S H OWM ES T E P

ACTIVITY THREE

THE WISDOM OF YOUTH: VIDEO CLIPS & QUOTES

V I D E O C L I P S :

• GENTLEMAN OF VISION TRAILER (http://bit.ly/2mwqdIr or http://bit.ly/ARF_GOV)

• DARIAN (http://bit.ly/2cRFptj) In this one-minute clip, Darian (“Prodigy”) talks about avoiding negative influences in his life and engaging in positive activities instead. What influences a young person’s decision to go down a certain path in life, and what can others do to help them make good choices?

• TEVIN (http://bit.ly/2d3D4is) In this short clip, Tevin (“Half-Pint”) reflects on his relationship with Coach Wharton, whose “tough love” can sometimes be difficult to appreciate. How can high expectations benefit young people, and how can mentors and other adults maintain positive relationships with youth while still instilling in them a sense of discipline and structure?

• CAMERON (http://bit.ly/2cbk7oR) In this one-minute clip, Cameron (“Tin Man”) talks about having to take over as the “man of the house” when his father didn’t fulfill that role. How are expectations for young men different than those for young women, and what added pressures come along with those expectations?

* Videos and content for this activity were produced by the Nine Network of Public Media for the CPB-funded project American Graduate. For more Gentlemen of Vision content, visit AMERICANGRADUATE.NINENET.ORG/GOV/

# W O R L D x B H M S O C I A L A C T I V I T Y T O O L K I T 7

In FO R A H K E E M , Daje Shelton is encouraged to persevere by her mother and educators, but the birth of her son offers a new inspiration and direction for her energy. Each Friday in Black History Month, we invite you to record a short video or capture an image of a person, place, or issue that motivates and inspires you.

- Post an image or video with a short description of your inspiration to social media

- Tag wi t h # WO R L Dx B H M # Bl ac k Histo r y P B S an d use t he t he f i l m t i t le FO R A H K E E M as t he fo r mu l a fo r a secon d ar y t ag # FO R ( N A M E ) .

- Review all the posts tagged with # WO R L Dx B H M # Bl ac k His to r y P B S and select at least one to repost to your account with a short note about why the post appeals to you.

ACTIVITY FOUR

DECLARE YOUR INSPIRATION ONLINE

F O R E X A M P L E :

If it weren’t for my 8th grade teacher, I wouldn’t have thought college was a possibility because of my financial circumstance. He helped me understand my real potential. Thank you! #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #ForMrB

Seeing Barack Obama become President of the United States changed everything for me. Now I know I can be president too! #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #ForBarack

Watching our U.S. team compete at the Olympics reminds me to strive harder for the things I want to achieve. These young people are amazing! #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #ForUSOlympicTeam

Mom, just seeing everything you do for me and our family is my biggest inspiration. I want to be as strong and as good a person as you are every day. #WORLDxBHM #BlackHistoryPBS #ForJoanne

# W O R L D x B H M S O C I A L A C T I V I T Y T O O L K I T 8

Join the movement to enlighten and engage this year by sharing our films and other programming on social media. You can find a collection of images for Black History Month to use online here.

- Remember to tag your posts with # WO R L Dx B H M # Bl ac k Histo r y P B S

- And link to w w w.wo rl d c h anne l . o rg / WO R L Dx B H M

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