Special Collection: Celebrating Black Stories
We delved into the Storyworks archives to bring you some of our most beloved stories for Black History Month, from a powerful play about a kid who led a series of sit-down strikes to a gripping nonfiction article about the co-discoverer of the North Pole. We hope you enjoy sharing these stories with your students.
Frozen Dreams
Matthew Henson helped discover the North Pole. It would
take many years for the world to discover him.
The Rule Breaker
The amazing story of Althea Gibson, a star tennis player
who fought an unfair world to make her dream come true
Freedom or Death
During the dark days of war, Robert Smalls
risked everything to free his family from slavery
Marching Toward a Dream
The incredible story of one of the most important moments
in American history: the 1963 March on Washington
Lift Every Voice and Sing
An uplifting poem about freedom and hope,
sometimes called the Black National Anthem
The Fire-Breather
The incredible story of a man who changed the way America fights fires
Dr. King Is My Grandpa
Like her famous grandfather, Yolanda Renee King is making a difference — and she thinks you can too.
Ayanna the Brave
Across the South in the 1950s, Black people weren’t allowed to go to the same places as White people. But 7-year-old Ayanna Najuma knew that was wrong. Here’s how she and a fearless group of kids fought for their rights—and won.
This Is What Courage Looks Like
During a troubled time in U.S. history, one 15-year-old girl stood up to injustice—and helped change America
Hungry for Change
The amazing story of Georgia Gilmore, the woman
who helped feed the civil rights movement
Art Credits: Dr. King is My Grandpa: Phil Skinner/AP Images for Scholastic Inc.; Frozen Dreams: Art by Randy Pollak; Marcel Jancovic/Shutterstock.com (dogs); Lift Every Voice and SIng: Art by Loveis Wise; Courtesy of GoogleDoodles google.com/doodles; GO!: Artwork by Greg Ruhl from The Superkids Reading Program Wilma Rudolph © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. Used with permission from Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All rights reserved.; The FIre-Breather: Art by Kingsley Nebechi; Hungry for Change: Illustrations © Laura Freeman/ From the book Pies From Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Bettmann/Getty Images (March); Marching Toward a Dream: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images; Freedom or Death: Art by Michael Machira Mwangi