If you are a Core French or French Immersion teacher looking for meaningful & engaging French Black History Month activities, this post is for you!
Before we begin – a quick disclaimer
I am a non-Black educator sharing French Black History Month ideas, activities and resources for the classroom. Please note that I am not selling anything nor earning money for sharing these activities and resources. It is an ethical decision that I have made given the (past and current) history of trauma and oppression.
Therefore, if you see a resource in here that I have created, it is free for you to use! Additionally, I am exclusively linking paid resources where all proceeds will go to Black content creators / professionals.
So, why is it important to honour Black History Month in French class?
First of all, Black people, communities, identities and experiences are not exclusive to the Anglophone world. You see, there was this little thing called colonization in which the French also participated.
Black Francophone communities exist, thrive and are important. Their contributions to society are often undervalued given that our current societies are entrenched in white supremacy.
I mean, don’t even get me started on how France treats it’s Black citizens.
Thus, we MUST not only teach about the oppression that some Black Francophones experience (especially living in the West), but we must also celebrate the joy, success and contributions that Black Francophones have made and continue to make to our society.
If there is one thing I am very proud of, is that I have integrated Black perspectives, communities and lived experiences in my teaching year-round. However, there is ALWAYS room for more love and appreciation in the month of February.
We can do both, people! As a matter of fact, we SHOULD be doing both.
A few other things to keep in mind before you plan your activities
Wherever possible, teach about Canadians and Francophones
I make it a point to teach about Black Canadians and Black Francophones during Black History Month. To be honest, I do this year-round in my courses anyways, but I especially make it a point during February.
I see A TON of Canadian educators focusing on Americans and American history. I completely agree that American history is important and connects to Canadian history.
However, not teaching about Black Canadian history or Black Francophone history reinforces the false narrative that Black history doesn’t exist in Canada or in the Francophone world. We know that that is not only false, but extremely harmful.
Canadian educators and Canadian educators who teach French have the responsibility of teaching about Black history in Canada and Black history in the Francophone world.
Do NOT pick on Black students in your classrooms
I can’t believe I have to say this one, but unfortunately my Black students have told me that this still happens. PLEASE DO NOT pick on the Black students in your class and ask them to share or speak to their experiences if they do not volunteer.
It is NOT the responsibility of Black students to teach non-Black educators and students about Black history.
DO purchase resources from Black creators whenever possible
I personally choose to support Black creators year-round and purchase resources and content that they share and create.
DO understand that despite your best intentions, you can still cause harm. Be open to listening to others and be open and willing to unpack your biases.
DO teach about Black history year-round embedded within all of your courses and themes
Let’s get to the resources & activity suggestions!
Individual / group reflection and discussion on Le mois de l’histoire des Noirs
Before you dive into BHM, begin by having your students reflect on the importance of Black History Month in the classroom. I would personally have them begin by writing a reflection and then I would follow with a class discussion on the topic.
Questions to think about :
- What is the history of Black History Month?
- Why is there a need to honour Black people and history in the month of February?
- Where are you in your journey of unlearning and learning?
- What progress have you made since your commitment to be a better ally?
The resource I have made for my own classroom use includes a reflection template.
Learn about a different notable Black person every day in February
This is the French Black History Month activity I will be doing with my own Grade 10 students in February. Here are the steps :
- Leading up to BHM, have your French students brainstorm as many notable Black individuals they can think of. If you can, place chart paper with different categories on different tables. For example, one for entertainment, another for writers, another for journalists and so on and so forth.
- Have your students create a list together and keep it in a Word document.
- Each day of February, at the start of class copy and paste your list of notable Black individuals into Wheel of Names. Spin the wheel to find out which notable Black individual the class will be learning about that day!
- Once the wheel has spun, have your students research and describe the individual en français (who, what, where, when, major accomplishments).
All necessary documents for this activity are included in the file!
Use French picture books to share stories of resilience, strength and Black pride
Whether you teach French Immersion or Core French, or elementary or secondary, there is ALWAYS a place for French picture books. Share stories of resilience, perseverance, strength and joy with your students via French picture books.
Here are some awesome picture books :
VISIONNAIRES: LES PERSONNES NOIRES QUI ONT FAÇONNÉ LE CANADA (Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore)
MA COULEUR À MOI (Colin Kaepernick)
LA CHANSON DU MONDE QUI CHANGE : UN HYMNE POUR LES ENFANTS (Amanda Gorman)
INVAINCUS (Kwame Alexander)
DES CHEVEUX COMME LES MIENS (LaTashia M Perry)
NOS BOUCLES AU NATUREL (Matthew A. Cherry)
Follow me on Instagram to learn of amazing French picture books with Black representation.
Learn about Canadian trailblazers like Willie O’Ree, Viola Desmond and Rosemary Brown
I have created French reading comprehension activities on Willie O’Ree and Rosemary Brown. In addition to these reading comprehension articles. you will also find a listening comprehension activity all about Viola Desmond.
Try these fun Qui suis-je? activities
I wanted to create a fun activity that would test my students on how well they know their celebrities.
The version with Drake is all in present tense for novice students. The celebrities are also ones that they should all recognize.
The second version is all in past tenses and includes mainly Francophone celebrities.
I know for sure that your students will love these French Black History Month activities!
Download this Google Slides presentation on Black Francophones
In 2021, I collaborated with my amazing, long-time friend that I met during Explore, Larissa Hale! We created an extensive slideshow presentation on notable Black Francophones and Francophone topics!
It is free to download in my Facebook group Anti-Racism and Representation for French Teachers. All you have to do is join the group!
Watch Monsieur Steve’s video
As usual, the amazing Monsieur Steve has made an engaging and relevant video on the topic. It’s so hard to find appropriate videos that are the right level of French for our learners and Monsieur Steve has made that task so much easier!
French Black History Month Resource Package
Celebrate Black excellence, joy and success this month by learning about notable Black Canadians and Black Francophones. This French Black History Month freebie includes French reading comprehension activities, a research assignment, and more.
Download, print & display these English & French Black Canadian Trailblazer posters
Celebrate and teach about Black Canadian trailblazers with these 6 posters. These posters are great for English or French Canadian Black History Month celebrations, but they are also perfect for year-round events and activities that teach about Black Canadian history in Canada.
I hope to add more posters in the future!
Which Black Canadian trailblazers have been included in the Black Canadian Trailblazer set (free download)?
- Viola Desmond
- Carrie Best
- Rosemary Brown
- Lincoln Alexander
- Portia White
- Willie O’Ree
Videos & podcast recommendations
I have a YouTube playlist with a wide variety of videos. Click here to check out the playlist.
Take a tour of Black Paris (Duolingo podcast)
This is a podcast we listen to during my unit Verlan, les banlieues and the lives of religious, ethnic, and racial minorities in France.
In this bilingual (French & English) podcast episode, we learn about important Black Francophones, their lives, and their contributions. Topics include la négritude, Aimé Césaire, le Panthéon, Léopold Senghor, la Sorbonne. While listening, I showed my students photos of the places/people being described and I actually had them draw what they were hearing. I also had them take notes on people, places and major movements they heard about.
Trousse éducative – Histoire Noire – Kayak
I stumbled upon an incredible French Black History Month resource. Here is how Kayak Magazine describes this resource :
Ce numéro de Kayak, produit en collaboration avec notre rédactrice invitée Natasha HenryLe lien s’ouvre dans un nouvel onglet, vous fera découvrir des histoires étonnantes et des exemples des réalisations des Noirs du Canada, qui ont contribué à bâtir notre pays. Non seulement vous y trouverez les mêmes histoires que dans la version originale, mais nous avons également ajouté trois nouveaux articles sur des personnages qui ont participé à la protection et à la promotion de l’histoire des Noirs, sur la longue tradition de certaines organisations regroupant des femmes noires et sur des Canadiens aux origines afro-autochtones.
