Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Invention Features: Lewis Latimer

For Students 9th - 10th
Smithsonian site features the life and many accomplishments of Lewis Latimer, the famous African-American inventor.
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: American Visionaries: George Washington Carver

For Students 9th - 10th
Despite being born a slave, read how Dr. Carver persevered so that he could become successful.
Website
The Field Museum

Field Museum: George Washington Carver

For Students 9th - 10th
The online companion to past Field Museum exhibit on the life and scientific contributions of George Washington Carver, this resource includes a biography, photo gallery, an overview of Carter's goal-oriented research, an educator's...
Handout
Other

Arthur Ashe: Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
This official Arthur Ashe biography describes his life in detail, from his childhood in Virginia to his record-breaking career in tennis. Readers will also learn about his work as an activist and philanthropist, and his HIV positive...
Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: School Publishers: Jackie Robinson

For Students 3rd - 8th
America honors Jackie Robinson's first year in baseball's major leagues. This site has a brief biography of Jackie Robinson and how he broke the race barrier.
Website
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: Audra Mc Donald

For Students 9th - 10th
Biography of Audra McDonald, actress and winner of six Tony Awards.
Website
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: Ernest J. Gaines

For Students 9th - 10th
Biography of American author, Ernest Gaines, well-known for his novels and essays, including The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman and A Gathering of Old Men, both adapted for television.
Handout
Other

Hall of Fame Biographies: John Maxwell (Michael) Coetzee

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief biography of John Maxwell Coetzee, a professor and famous author from Africa. Read about his accomplishments which led him to be the first to win two Booker Awards.
Handout
Other

Hall of Fame Biographies: Adolph Gysbert Malan

For Students 9th - 10th
A concise biography of Adolph Gysbert Malan (1910-1963), a famous South African fighter pilot. Read about his flight career and his achievements during World War II.
Handout
A&E Television

Biography: Barbara Jordan

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography of Barbara Charline Jordan, who lived from 1936-1996. She was the first African American woman from the Deep South to hold a seat in Congress.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Work Among Our Women

For Students 9th - 10th
African American women have been strong leaders in the fight for equality. Mary Church Terrell addresses the National Association of Colored Women and discusses the achievements of African American women since Emancipation.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Ella Fitzgerald

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief biography of famous singer and Grammy winner Ella Fitzgerald.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Breaking Racial Barriers

For Students 9th - 10th
Exhibition of portraits, accompanied by brief biographical sketches, of prominent African Americans, whose contributions to science, the arts, business, and politics have enriched and enlivened the public good in the United States:...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: 1990 Black Heritage Series: Ida B. Wells Issue

For Students 9th - 10th
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1990 to commemorate Ida B. Wells, one of the founders of the NAACP. With a short passage on her life and contributions to ending discrimination against women and African-Americans.
eBook
University at Buffalo

University at Buffalo: Helene Johnson Poetry

For Students 9th - 10th
This site, which is provided for by the University at Buffalo, gives the text of three of the poems of this famous Harlem Renaissance author.
Website
PBS

Pbs.org: Sterling Brown, Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS offers a brief, but well-written, biography of the famous Harlem Renaissance author.
Activity
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Claude Mc Kay

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography and analysis of the life of the famous author, as well as literary criticism as well as online poems, letters and a bibliography. Includes many quotes and his poetry.
Primary
Stanford University

Stanford University: Lesson Plan on "Beyond Vietnam"

For Students 9th - 10th
A well designed four part lesson plan on Dr. King's famous speech on the Vietnam War in which he came out against the war.
Handout
Other

African American Inventors and Their Inventions: Granville T. Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a thorough biography of inventor Granville T. Woods, who is credited with improving railway safety for bot the trains and trainmen. Find out what concepts in railroad safety are still being used today.
Handout
National Women's Hall of Fame

National Women's Hall of Fame: Sojourner Truth

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Women's Hall of Fame provides a brief biography of the famous abolitionist and former slave, Sojourner Truth.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Thurgood Marshall

For Students 3rd - 8th
Thurgood Marshall was one of the most important figures in the civil rights movement. In this biographical account, follow the steps of Marshall from his days as a law student at Howard Law School, to his victories as chief counsel for...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: George Washington Carver [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th
"George Washington Carver" is a one page, biographical passage about George Washington Carver, an African American professor who taught farmers and students better methods for farming, including planting peanuts to improve the soil. It...
Article
Black Past

Black Past: Lafayette, James Armistead (1760 1832)

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief biography of James Lafayette reveals that he was a spy during the American Revolution. He fooled the likes of Benedict Arnold and General Cornwallis of Britain!
Website
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: George Washington Carver

For Students 9th - 10th
An introduction to George Washington Carver, the talented, intelligent inventor. Learn why he was called a "Miracle Worker" for his vast knowledge of plants and agriculture. (In Spanish)