Black History Month runs the entire month of February and I have already read far too many posts for and against Black History Month with the best being Aisha Harris over at Slate. Taking her advice I want to move beyond in order to learn more – and as usual I am taking my kids with me!
In that vein, I wanted to introduce you to Because of Them We Can this month because of the significant impact it can have for kids. The photographer, Eunique Jones, set out to capture in photographs the heroes of black history by photographing children as those heroes, speaking their words, and even in the videos below, reenacting scenes of said heroes. She did this the entire month of February 2013. At the end of that time, Eunique Jones decided that February was not enough – that even a year would not be long enough – and so she has continued her inspiring photographic journey.
So often I use books to initiate conversations, but these photographs and videos offer a change of pace – and one that my children LOVE. Kids speak to kids and with these pictures my kids are fueled to learn. They watch a video, look at a photo by Ms. Jones, and then we talk. I hope you too find the brilliance and celebration in Eunique Jones’ soulful work.
Find out more about the story or see more inspiring photographs at Because Of Them We Can.