This curriculum unit will address the need to teach students about more African American heroes and other historical figures of color in United States History.  This focuses on equity in the curriculum, and the necessity for all students to see themselves within it. The Unit itself will focus on four-hundred years of African American strength and struggle for freedom, equality and justice in the United States; approached from a biographical stance, linking the lives we learn to events, movements and the longevity and complexity of the Civil Rights movement.  The final section will entail a collaborative display of mini biographies displaying how primary sources help us learn about the hidden voices of the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s and a display of one historical figure to showcase along with a writing assignment.  This will display skills applied during the year.  This unit is for Elementary History and Language Arts but can and should be adapted to other grade levels to address inequity within state curricula. 

(Developed for History and Social Science, grade 4; recommended for History and Social Science, grades K-12)