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Black History at PBS KIDS Utah

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by
Melanie Pehrson-Noyce
• Published on
PBS KIDS Utah

My partner and I recently acknowledged the need to introduce more diverse voices in our social media, home library (our own and our children's), and entertainment consumption. We are working to learn through stories, adjusting and reevaluating our assumptions along the way. I am personally grateful for PBS leaning into its core principles of independence, accuracy, fairness, transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability to help us with our goals. Invite conversations about Black history and encourage representation throughout the year by exploring the resource lists below.

Sesame Street
Sesame Street: Let's Celebrate Black History Song! | Black History Month

Black History: PBS Resources for Parents

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Teaching Black History: PBS Resources for Educators

Educators, if you have not had an opportunity to explore PBS LearningMedia, I would highly recommend it. This entirely free resource is continually updated with relevant lesson plans, resources, and collections by and for educators surrounding PBS content. You can filter by subject and grade. They include state and national standards for reference to approved curriculum. 

Consider these collections and lesson plans as a springboard for your deep dive:

Black History: What's happening in Utah?

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  • Check out PBS Utah's very own Lonzo Liggins and Danor Gerald for their second season of Roots, Race, & Culture. Watch (or listen!) to open, honest conversations about identity and culture, centered around the experiences of Black and People of Color communities in Utah.
  • Revisit the below This Is Utah episode featuring Alyssha Dairsow's organization Curly Me, focused on helping girls gain self-confidence and learn to learn their natural, curly hair.
  • PBS Utah's Let's Talk series was introduced to me just today by a fellow PBS Utah employee and I cannot get enough! In this video series, host Karen Tao sits down with parents to have lively 15 or so minutes conversations about race and racism and how these topics inform their family life. Highly recommend!
  • Have you had a chance to visit the Utah Black History Museum Bus? This mobile museum goes to communities where they are and offers a creative, immersive way to learn about Black History.
  • The University of Utah Black Cultural Center which is teaming with events, a newsletter, programs and initiatives!
  • The Semi Hadithi Foundation works to tell the stories of Black Utahns throughout history.
This Is Utah
Curly Me | This Is Utah

Alyssha Dairsow first launched non-profit organization Curly Me! in 2018 to help girls ages five to pre-teen gain self-confidence and learn to love their natural, curly hair. Today, Curly Me! offers empowerment workshops, trainings, social events, and career days with minority leaders and professionals to inspire kids to be their best, authentic selves and achieve their dreams. pbsutah.org/this-is-utah

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