For the Family Table
Weekend activities, conversation guides, kid-friendly explainers, and grandparent interview prompts — for every generation in your home.
Pick the age group closest to you.
Ages 6–8
Picture books, family read-alouds, simple oral history questions.
Ages 9–12
Biographies, kid-friendly documentaries, museum visits.
Teens
Primary sources, podcasts, current-events discussions.
College Students
Scholarship, internships, research projects.
Adults
Long-form journalism, book clubs, civic engagement.
Intergenerational
Family history projects, shared movie nights, cooking traditions.
Weekend Learning Activities
Five ideas for Saturday or Sunday.
1. Visit a Black-owned bookstore and let each child pick one book. 2. Cook a recipe from the African diaspora and discuss its origin. 3. Watch one documentary together and pause for discussion. 4. Plan a visit to a local Black history site. 5. Record an oral history with an elder.
Parent Conversation Guides
Talking to kids about race, history, and pride.
Tip 1: Start early. Children notice race long before adults talk about it. Tip 2: Use stories, not lectures. Tip 3: Pair hard history with Black joy and excellence. Tip 4: Welcome questions, even uncomfortable ones. Tip 5: Let your child see you learning too.
Kid-Friendly Explainers
Big topics in simple words.
Juneteenth: It's the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in Texas learned they were free. We celebrate freedom and family. HBCUs: Historically Black colleges and universities. They were started so Black students could go to college when most other schools wouldn't let them. Today they're famous for amazing bands, homecomings, and graduates. The Great Migration: A long time when millions of Black families moved from the South to other parts of the country looking for better jobs and safer lives.
Family History Prompts
Questions to ask at the next family dinner.
• Where did our family live three generations ago? • Who is the oldest person you remember in our family, and what do you remember about them? • What song reminds you of your childhood? • What's a recipe that's been passed down? • What story did your grandparents tell you most?
Grandparent Interview Questions
Record an oral history this weekend.
1. What's your full name and where were you born? 2. What was school like for you? 3. What's the biggest change you've seen in your lifetime? 4. What's a moment you're most proud of? 5. What do you want your great-grandchildren to know?
Movie Night Discussion Guides
How to debrief after watching together.
After watching, ask: 1. What surprised you? 2. Who in the film reminded you of someone in our family? 3. What questions do you still have? 4. What is one thing you want to learn more about this week?
Church and Community Learning Ideas
Bridge faith spaces and Black history.
Invite an elder to share a 5-minute testimony of how their faith shaped their participation in the civil rights era. Pair it with a youth-led question time.
Home Library Suggestions
Ten books worth owning.
1. 'The People Could Fly' — Virginia Hamilton 2. 'Stamped' — Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi 3. 'Beloved' — Toni Morrison 4. 'Between the World and Me' — Ta-Nehisi Coates 5. 'The Warmth of Other Suns' — Isabel Wilkerson 6. 'Sister Outsider' — Audre Lorde 7. 'How the Word Is Passed' — Clint Smith 8. 'Hidden Figures' — Margot Lee Shetterly (with adult context) 9. 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' — Zora Neale Hurston 10. 'The Souls of Black Folk' — W.E.B. Du Bois