5 Free Black History Courses You Can Take Online Right Now

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Laptop, working and black woman on laptop taking free black history courses

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In traditional textbooks and conversation, Black history has been misrepresented, underrepresented, and often not represented at all. However, understanding Black history thoroughly – not just the cliff notes or the white-washed version – is critical to social progress. African Americans can’t go back in time and change the curriculum in their elementary or high school. But, there are educators who are dedicated to telling the real and complete stories of Black history, and they are offering their knowledge for free.

Whether you are looking for a refresher on important moments in Black history or you are ready to take a deeper dive into new ways of thinking about race and social progress, here are Black history courses you can take for free during Black History Month.

Black American History by CrashCourse

Take it here.

This course is taught by writer and teacher Clint Smith, Ph.D. It features 50 easy-to-follow episodes that cover Black history starting with the slave trade in the British colonies and ending at the current day Black Lives Matter movement.

Dr. Smith’s hope with the course is to provide language and context students can use to discuss and understand how historical events have shaped the lives of Black Americans. It divulges how systemic oppression and racist policies like redlining and veterans‘ benefits exclusions still impact the Black community to this day. The episodes are roughly two hours and can be watched on demand.

Hidden Figures: Black History

This series is a part of TED-Ed and it tells the stories of many great, influential Black individuals throughout history that don’t show up in traditional history books. Each video is hosted by a different educator or thinker in the arenas or racial relationships and social progress (including one by Clint Smith from the previous course).

Some figures covered include James Baldwin, Rosa Parks, Toni Morrison and Benjamin Banneker. There are a total of 21 videos, each around five minutes long.

Black Tudors: The Untold Story

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This course takes a look at a rarely discussed but important part of Black history: Black individuals in Tudor England. Before the British began the slave trade to the colonies in what would eventually become the U.S., Black people lived freely in Tudor, England.

This course looks at the lives of 10 real historical figures in Tudor England, including their jobs, marriages, families, social standing and more. It additionally teaches students how to analyze historical and investigative documents with a critical eye and understand them for their deeper social implications.

The course is self-paced and takes six weeks with roughly four hours of study time per week.

Black Performance As Social Protest

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Take it here.

This course examines how performance has been an integral part of the Black resistance and social progress, especially within the African diaspora. It reviews important artistic and rebellious expression, including chants by enslaved African Americans.

The course further shows how social justice movements from the past connect to those still happening today. It also encourages students to create their own manifesto covering how they will use artistic expression in the name of social justice.

Black Agency: Resistance and Resilience

Source: Nigil / @lordnc

Take it here.

This audited course explores the importance of free will and agency among Black individuals. Taught by Black resistance expert Dr. Sharde M. Davis, the course offers a brief refresher on major moments in Black history before diving into how one’s racial identity is formed in social settings and even how children learn about racism.

It further examines structural barriers the Black community still faces, and analyzes how racial tension and Black resistance show up in current forms of art and culture. Its syllabus is broken into three main sections: “What is anti-Black racism?”, “Racial socialization” and “Resistance, healing and resilience.”