Blak History Month 2012

It's been pretty quiet here on The Critical Classroom front for July. We did get our first 2012 E-News finished and sent out*. But we've been pretty much consumed with getting the 2012 Blak History Month fact sheets completed. 

You can download your own copies of 31 Great Moments in Blakhistory from the Blak History Month Facebook page. I'll update our Blak History Month for Teachers website when I have some free time.

*If you would like to download a copy, you'll find it here. You can subscribe to upcoming monthly E-News by subscribing here.

2011 NAIDOC Poster is available to order

The 2011 NAIDOC Poster is available from www.naidoc.org.au.

The poster was created by Matthew Humphries and is titled Road to Change.

Description of work: A First Australian family link hands as they step out on the road to change – proud of who they are, encouraged by what has already been achieved and united in their goal to be changemakers for a bright new future.

You can order copies of the poster from the National NAIDOC organisation at http://www.naidoc.org.au/naidoc-poster/order/

You can see the 2010 NAIDOC poster here.

Want to celebrate for more than a week? Why not celebrate for a whole month!

Blak History Month is a grassroots movement that is celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, people and communities for the whole month of July. You can order a Blak History Month poster created by Sam Cook from Kiss My Blak Arts from the online store, RedBubble, and you can download free resources from my Blak History Month for Teachers website.


Leesa Watego

Blak History Month Poster

32/365 Blak History Month poster
Originally uploaded by leesawatego

Last week I ordered a poster created by Aboriginal artist Sam Cook from Redbubble.

Australian Blak History Month is a very grassroots celebration of history, people, events, stories from a Blak perspective. I have written about it elsewhere on this blog, and there is a link also to my Blak History Month website which has a range of free resources.

I highly recommend all schools purchase this poster. Not only does it look DEADLY, supports an Aboriginal artist, but it will resonate with your students and their families when they see it hanging in your school and classroom.

The poster I chose is print mounted on a matte board. I chose the white matte board. There are different options of purchasing with RedBubble including already framed prints.

You can see all Sam's artwork at www.redbubble.com/people/kissmyblakarts.

Leesa Watego

Blak History Month - Connect

In its second "official" year, Australia's Blak History Month is steadily gathering momentum and is being helped along by social networking tools.

There is -

• a Facebook group "I'll be Celebrating Australia's Blak History Month". There are resource sheets available here. Go to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=62159984672

• a Twitter hashtag "group" #austblakhistorymonth

And importantly, there is a "buzz" as more people start talking about this new celebration.

Of course, a big shout out goes to Sam Cook from @kissmyblakarts for kicking the whole thing off in 2008 (and for the initial logo design).

So keep sharing folks, what you're doing? what you want to do now and/or in the future?

It will also be interesting to watch as non-Indigenous Blak Australians start participating from their own communities.

Late addition to this post:

Follow @kissmyblakarts on Twitter to get the link to your Great Moments in Blak History downloadable worksheets (or join the facebook group where they are also available).

(Originally posted on InquiryBites on TypePad on June 30, 2009)

Blak History Month 1 - 31st July

All the days we know of as important and meaningful are created. Here is a worthy event to celebrate. It started small in 2008 but can grow into whatever we want it to. This announcement is from Sam Cook, initiator of Kiss My Blak Arts.

Public Announcement
As we mark this day as a moment of Indigenous Survival, let us note that it has been one year to the day, that the message was sent to Australia and the World, to recognise and celebrate JULY as AUSTRALIA'S BLAK HISTORY MONTH. 

From a humble grassroots pledge - to what continues to gain momentum daily - let us collectively look toward how we can each play a role in promoting a month of positive pride to share, celebrate and carry forth the history of the 1st Australians - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Please encourage more people to join the group and/or talk about it in your local community, amongst family, your mob and people of ALL backgrounds and heritage, so that they too, can Celebrate with Us.
By breathing life into BLAK HISTORY MONTH, you will each take your mark as founders of a lifelong legacy, itself a moment in BLAKISTORY. 

In Unity, Strength and Pride. Sam Cook (More information about Kiss My Blak Arts available from http://www.kissmyblakarts.com/about.html) 

(Originally posted in InquiryBites blog on TypePad on March 9, 2009)

Blacklines Free Resources Great Moments In Blakistory Quiz 1

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Blacklines Free Resources Great Moments In Blakistory Quiz 1

View more presentations from Leesa Watego.

Using Sam Cook's Great Moment's In Blakistory Fact Sheets (see last post), I created a Quiz using PowerPoint.

You need to have the Fact Sheets to answer the questions. I suggest that you create a folder and have the Quiz as a month-long project. The answers are at the back of the presentation.

Maybe I should separate the questions & answers? What's a better format?

(Originally posted on criticalclassroom on TypePad on 01/02/2010)

Black History Month - 2009

2008 saw the creation of Blak History Month in Australia. Ms Sam Cook from Kiss My Blak Arts declared it, create a poster and shared the idea and vision.
Through social network sites like Facebook and Twitter, Australia's Blak History Month has slowly but steadily grown.
The next few posts will feature some of these resources. The first resource is:
Great Moments in Blakistory Fact Sheets (developed by Sam Cook) are downloadable free (there is 1 sheet for each day of the month for the past two years) [there is quite a bit of clicking involved here - download these on a day when your computer is going strong!! You will need to Click on the File; Save As; then Print as A4]

• Great Moments in Blakistory Fact Sheets 2008

• Great Moments in Blakistory Fact Sheets 2009

(Originally published on criticalclassroom on TypePad on 01/01/2010)