Mentoring Resources for Black History Month 2021
2/11/2021
February is Black History Month, and this year's theme is "The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity." As a mentor, you've probably discovered that your experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters is about more than connecting with a child. It's also about opening yourself to new people, places and experiences. We've compiled this list of resources for Black History Month for you to share with your Little, or explore on your own.
New Hampshire-specific learning
Best-selling author Jodi Picoult recently highlighted the Black Heritage Trail of NH in Frommers' Best Places 2021: Great Authors on Our America.
"Sobering and eye-opening, the Black Heritage Trail forces us to question those we have traditionally considered heroes, and to elevate those who have been marginalized instead," Picoult wrote. "It squarely centers Black life in early America, at a time when we as Americans need to be rewriting our history to do so."
The organization's website contains a wealth of information and resources, and BHTNH is also hosting a series of virtual events this month that are free to the public.
2021 Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks: "Claiming Our Place: Blacks in "'White Spaces'"
Sundays through March 14, 2-4 p.m.
Feb. 14 - Writing While Black: The Afrofuturistic Writer
Feb. 21 - Race & Care of the Soul
Feb. 28 - It Happened in NH: Black History in the Granite State
Check out the University of New Hampshire's listing of Black History Month 2021 Programs & Events.
Mentoring-specific resources
Cultural competence is the ability of a person to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of various cultural backgrounds. Gaining cultural competence is a lifelong process of increasing self-awareness, developing social skills and behaviors around diversity, and gaining the ability to advocate for others.
Mentor-focused cultural competency training is available on BBBS's Learning Exchange platform. Contact your Match Support Specialist to take the webinar.
The Mass Mentoring Partnership has put together this great, free Culturally Responsive Mentoring workbook. Headquartered in Boston, the MMP is a Massachusetts organization dedicated to strategically expanding quality mentoring to meet the needs of youth. The organization serves more than 200 organizations in Massachusetts.
In this 2 1/2 minute video interview, the late poet Maya Angelou talks about the impact of mentoring in her life.
Other resources
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History is hosting a month-long Black History Month festival. Check it out!
Prefer podcasts? Check out NPR CodeSwitch's listing of episodes about the hidden heroes and buried history of black America.