Decorating your classroom door is a great way to get kids excited about learning. We found a great selection of inspiring classroom door designs to help inspire your class to learn about and celebrate Black history! From historical figures to modern leaders, to your students themselves, there’s a door to honor a wide range of amazing accomplishments.
1. Grow our roots
Marcus Garvey once said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” Remind students to be proud of their roots with this root-inspired door decoration.
2. Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman said, “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” Remind your students that they have the power to change the world with a door dedicated to the incredible work of Harriet Tubman.
3. Representation matters
Representation matters and this door will impact both children and adults beyond those on your class roster.
4. Africa door
This door features the continent of Africa and is perfect for merging geography andhistory.
5. Brave like Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to be integrated into an all-white elementary school during Jim Crow, is rightfully an icon of bravery. Her life showcases the historical accomplishments of Black Americans and encourages young people to be brave and stand up for what is right. Create a door to honor the accomplishments of Ruby Bridges and inspire your students!
6. Putting the pieces together
Create a puzzle-piece themed door showcasing the important accomplishments of Black inventors, scientists, leaders, educators, etc.
7. Dress up your door
This teacher used fabric, paper, and glitter to create an image that screams strength, beauty, and power.
8. From chains to change
It wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of US history that Black people were enslaved. Talk about the power of standing up for change. Have students write about changes they want to see happen and post them on the door.
9. Feature an icon with butcher paper
Highlight one specific person on your door. Create their image out of butcher paper. Then print out quotes from them to add to the door. Get everyone in your wing involved with a different person on each classroom door to showcase for your very own miniature Black history museum.
(Note: Tupac Shakur is featured on this door. The popular YA novel The Hate U Give gets the title from his words. Check out this list of great books to read about Black history HERE.
10. Visual timeline
Make a timeline of an iconic Black person. Create an image of the person you choose and then have your students draw pictures or write paragraphs about what they can or have learned from that person.
11. Picture collage
Create an “I love being Black” photo collage on your door. Include pictures of Black people throughout history, as well as modern-day figures, including actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, etc.
12. Clothed in history
Create a giant paper portrait of a figure wearing a shirt made up of photographs of Black people who made history.
13. Showcase student learning
Engage your students in the decorating and learning process by assigning them each a famous person relevant to Black history to research. Hang their research on your door in celebration of these amazing contributions.
14. Fulfilling the dream
Celebrate a current Black celebrity or well-known figure with a crown above their head. Cover the crown with images of crucial moments and people in Black history to remind students of all the people whose work led up to our current place in time.
15. Mixed media masterpiece
Make your door a mixed media masterpiece featuring images of Black leaders who paved the way for racial equality in the United States.
16. Drawing connections
Bring your door to life with some creative photo printing! Choose two important Black history icons for your students to learn about. This door features Ruby Bridges and Barack Obama. Clothe the famous figures in photo collages. Then add their faces and other fun details. Use the display to help students draw connections between the efforts for equality, past and present.
17. Power words
Have students describe the iconic players in Black history. Put those words on your door.
18. Black “Herstory” Month
Celebrate Black women with a door dedicated to Black “Herstory” Month! Put the responsibility for research in the students’ hands and collaborate to create an amazing door celebration.
19. “I Have a Dream” student stories showcase
Recognize the diversity among your students as you teach them about Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Hang up this famous quote by King and have your students decorate cut-outs of their arms and hands that tell their story
20. Celebrate Katherine Johnson
Read (or watch) Hidden Figures and then create a door celebrating Katherine Johnson. Show your students that the possibilities for their future are only limited by their desires and imagination!
21. Celebrate through music
Use your door to show children how Black musicians have shaped and continue to influence American pop culture.
22. Guess who
Everyone loves a game of “Guess Who!” Create a guessing game on your door that teaches students about Black history.
23. Phenomenal women
Celebrate the contributions of Black women to the world of literature, poetry, and beyond! For example, this quote collage features Maya Angelou’s powerful and iconic poem, “Phenomenal Woman.”
24. Send an uplifting message
Encourage students to lift one another up with the quote, “But still, like dust, I’ll rise!” from Maya Angelou.
25. We matter
The message of this door is simple and powerful. Black history matters.
Teaching and discussing Black history needs to be happening all year – not just in February. Life coach and homeschooling mom, Dani Faust, says, “Every month is Black History Month. We’re Black all year and celebrate Black history year-round. February is just our anniversary!”
As an expert and enthusiast, I can provide information and insights on various topics, including the concepts used in this article about decorating classroom doors to celebrate Black history. Let's go through each concept and discuss them in detail:
1. Grow our roots
This concept emphasizes the importance of knowing one's history, origin, and culture. It encourages students to be proud of their roots. The quote mentioned is attributed to Marcus Garvey, a prominent figure in the early 20th-century Black nationalist movement.
2. Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was an African American abolitionist and political activist. She played a significant role in the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom. The concept suggests dedicating a door to her incredible work and inspiring students to believe in their power to change the world .
3. Representation matters
This concept highlights the importance of representation in the classroom. It acknowledges that representation matters not only for the students in the class but also for children and adults beyond the class roster.
4. Africa door
This concept suggests creating a door decoration featuring the continent of Africa. It provides an opportunity to merge geography and history, allowing students to learn about the diverse cultures and histories of African countries.
5. Brave like Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was the first Black student to be integrated into an all-white elementary school during the era of racial segregation known as Jim Crow. This concept encourages creating a door to honor Ruby Bridges' accomplishments and inspire students to be brave and stand up for what is right.
6. Putting the pieces together
This concept suggests creating a puzzle-piece themed door decoration that showcases the important accomplishments of Black inventors, scientists, leaders, educators, and more.
7. Dress up your door
This concept involves using fabric, paper, and glitter to create an image on the door that represents strength, beauty, and power.
8. From chains to change
This concept highlights the historical context of Black enslavement and the power of standing up for change. It encourages students to write about the changes they want to see and post them on the door.
9. Feature an icon with butcher paper
This concept suggests highlighting one specific person on the door by creating their image out of butcher paper. Quotes from that person can be added to the door. It also encourages involving other classrooms to create a miniature Black history museum.
10. Visual timeline
This concept involves creating a timeline of an iconic Black person. An image of the chosen person can be created, and students can draw pictures or write paragraphs about what they have learned from that person.
11. Picture collage
This concept suggests creating an "I love being Black" photo collage on the door. It includes pictures of Black people throughout history, as well as modern-day figures from various fields.
12. Clothed in history
This concept involves creating a giant paper portrait of a figure wearing a shirt made up of photographs of Black people who made history.
13. Showcase student learning
This concept encourages engaging students in the decorating and learning process by assigning each student a famous person relevant to Black history to research. Their research can be displayed on the door to celebrate their contributions.
14. Fulfilling the dream
This concept suggests celebrating a current Black celebrity or well-known figure with a crown above their head. The crown can be covered with images of crucial moments and people in Black history, highlighting the work that led up to the present.
15. Mixed media masterpiece
This concept involves creating a mixed media masterpiece on the door, featuring images of Black leaders who paved the way for racial equality in the United States.
16. Drawing connections
This concept encourages bringing the door to life by using creative photo printing. Two important Black history icons can be chosen, and their faces can be added to photo collages. The display can help students draw connections between past and present efforts for equality.
17. Power words
This concept involves having students describe iconic players in Black history and putting those words on the door.
18. Black "Herstory" Month
This concept suggests dedicating a door to Black women and their contributions to literature, poetry, and beyond. Students can take responsibility for research and collaborate to create an amazing door celebration.
19. "I Have a Dream" student stories showcase
This concept involves teaching students about Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and having them decorate cut-outs of their arms and hands to tell their own stories. The famous quote by King can be displayed on the door.
20. Celebrate Katherine Johnson
This concept suggests creating a door celebrating Katherine Johnson, a mathematician whose story is featured in the book and movie "Hidden Figures." It aims to show students that their future possibilities are limitless.
21. Celebrate through music
This concept encourages using the door to showcase how Black musicians have shaped and continue to influence American pop culture.
22. Guess who
This concept involves creating a guessing game on the door to teach students about Black history.
23. Phenomenal women
This concept celebrates the contributions of Black women to literature, poetry, and beyond. It suggests creating a quote collage featuring powerful and iconic poems, such as Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman."
24. Send an uplifting message
This concept encourages students to lift one another up with a quote from Maya Angelou: "But still, like dust, I'll rise!"
25. We matter
This concept emphasizes the importance of Black history and the need to teach and discuss it throughout the year, not just in February.
Remember, celebrating Black history and promoting inclusivity in the classroom is an ongoing effort that should be integrated into the curriculum throughout the year.
