Ancestry & Black Americans, a resource companion for " Born on the Water" book

This is a companion resource guide intended to be used with the book "The 1619 project, Born on the Water" by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson.

After reading this book to my children, I wanted to make sure they understood a few key elements in the story. Such as, what is ancestry? What does it mean to create a family tree? What is genealogy? What is a legacy? What does it mean to leave a legacy? So I created a companion resource to go along with this book. I wanted my children to be proud of their Black ancestry and to be proud to be a mixed Black American, as well as understand what it means when we say "ancestral land". This is all included in the resource.

This book and resource is not just for Black Americans, I believe that this book should be read by All Americans. I encourage those who don't connect with this on a heritage level to have conversations as a family about Black Americans and their contributions, struggles, and their journey here in America. I encourage you to also weave in your stories from your own ancestry. Use the resources in this unit to connect to your own ancestral land and use the printables in a way that resonates with your family.

There is a specific page I included for parents and older children, I wanted to include some history on "Can all Black Americans ancestry be traced back to Africa?". A way for parents to understand and be knowledgeable about the history they're sharing with their child.

The whole resource is based around this book, but could honestly be used alone or with just about any African American study. Included is an art printable of Africa for your child to create using any art medium of their choosing( we recommend printing on mixed media art paper for the best quality). Also included is a family tree printable, for you and your child to fill in together. Opening the door for an even deeper conversation.

If you need additional resources or guidance, please feel free to follow us on Instagram @read_therainbow where we share how we make these resources come to life!

Tanisha McRae