What Does Black History Month Have To Do With Muslims?

…Charles Bilal of Kountze, TX became America’s first Muslim mayor in 1991?

…Keith Ellison, the first Muslim United States congressman, swore his oath of office on Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Qur’an?

…A number of well-known hip-hop artists self-identify as Muslim, including Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, and T-Pain?

…the first recorded enslaved Muslim, a man named Estaban, was brought to America from what is now Morocco in 1527?

…African American Muslim musicians played an important role in the development of the “New Jazz?”

…many of the well-known enslaved Muslims from Africa were remembered for their literacy, dignity, and knowledge?

Black History Month presents a great opportunity to teach your students about the diverse history of America. ING offers a curriculum called “A History of Muslims in America“, a fascinating account of the lives and legacies of America’s earliest Muslims. Click the image above for more information.