Black History Month is a time to honor the sacrifices made by Black individuals and the profound impact they have had on our nation – shaping what it is today and helping to propel it forward. Black Medal of Honor recipients perfectly embody a commitment to justice, integrity, and a cause greater than oneself, making their stories powerful tools in your classroom this month to instill a deep appreciation of what they risked, lost, and accomplished for our country. While they are an excellent centerpiece for your classroom this month, we also understand that finding or creating lessons that promote this can be challenging, especially when you’re already facing budget and time constraints. 

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society (CMOHS) equips you with the lesson plans and materials you need to integrate these stories into your curriculum seamlessly. We have several lessons about Black Medal of Honor recipients and their stories of unconscionable valor in the face of impossible odds in our Path to Honor student portal. 

4 Free Ready-Made Lessons About Black Medal of Honor Recipients

Our Path to Honor student portal is a must-have resource for educators like yourself seeking to inspire character development and self-reflection in your students. This free, interactive, and engaging platform is designed for teachers by teachers. 

Sure to resonate with students, each video lesson revolves around the Medal of Honor core values of courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism, providing an immersive education experience unlike any other that allows students to understand the importance of these values through real-life stories and firsthand accounts of Medal of Honor recipients.

With Black History Month underway, Path to Honor is proud to offer resources on the incredible stories of Black Medal of Honor recipients to foster meaningful growth in February. 

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Sergeant Alwyn Cashe

This lesson revolves around Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe. In 2005, Cashe was serving as a platoon sergeant in Iraq when he was assigned a dangerous mission. As his convoy drove through the darkness, a roadside bomb exploded and engulfed their vehicle in flames. 

“We had been hit before,” says Retired 1st Sgt. Peter Black said in the video module, “But I had never seen anything like this.” 

Cashe escaped and fought to rescue the others trapped inside, but his clothes burst into flames. 

At this point of the video lesson, students are presented with a question about how they would react if they were in Cashe’s position and faced with a burning uniform while other soldiers were in peril. After answering, they will see what other students answered. 

“When I got there, this dude was still running around, trying to get his soldiers on stretchers and get them into the ambulance,” remembers Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Mackenzie in the video.

With burns covering over 72% of his body, Cashe continued to work tirelessly to save his soldiers, refusing to get on the aircraft until every single soldier was evacuated. Cashe would die a month later from his injuries, and President Joseph Biden presented his widow with his Medal of Honor, becoming the first African American since the Vietnam War to receive the award.

After watching the engaging video, students will be faced with a freer exercise that promotes self-exploration, encouraging students to consider Cashe’s actions that contraindicated fire safety guidelines in order to save others and reflect on when doing the right thing means ignoring what you have been taught or even breaking the rules.

By exploring Cashe’s heroic actions through this thought-provoking video module this Black History Month, your students will receive a powerful opportunity for character development, sparking meaningful classroom discussions on courage, sacrifice, and the true meaning of heroism.

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Sergeant William Carney

This lesson is about William Carney, who joined the Union Army in 1863 as soon as African Americans were allowed to fight in the Civil War. Carney would go on to serve in the first official African American unit. 

That same year, his regiment led a siege on Fort Wagner in South Carolina. He and his men valiantly scaled the walls of the fort, but they were met with a barrage of enemy fire. Carney saw that the color bearer who was carrying the American flag was hit. Carney viewed the flag as a resonant symbol of the Union, and it was about to fall to the ground. 

At this point in the lesson, students will be asked to think about what they would do if, like Carney, they were wounded and several comrades had already fallen when they saw the flag fall. Then, they will see what other students answered and continue through the video. 

The video continues, describing Carney dropping his gun as he saw the flag fall and running toward the flag to keep it from hitting the ground. He bravely held the flag in the air amidst gunfire. 

“All the men who had mounted the ramparts with me were either killed or wounded, I, being the only one left erect and moving,” Carney would later recall. 

Despite suffering several gunshot wounds himself and nearly losing his life, Carney refused to let go of the flag, even once help arrived. According to witnesses, he held onto it until he had brought it safely to the Union Barracks. 

“When the men saw me bringing in the colors, they cheered me,” Carney recalled with pride, “and I was able to tell them that the old flag had never touched the ground.”

In May of 1900, over 30 years after this momentous moment of bravery and patriotism, President William McKinley presented Sergeant Carney with the Medal of Honor for his patriotic devotion to his flag and country, making him one of 25 African Americans who would receive this honor for their service in the Civil War. 

At the end of the module, students will receive a free-writing prompt that encourages them to reflect on the importance of symbols and whether or not it is worth risking their lives for a symbol.

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Private Henry Johnson

During World War I, Private Henry Johnson was serving in one of the only units open to African American soldiers, the Harlem Hellfighters, an all-Black 369th Infantry Regiment, which is the focus of this lesson.  

One night, Johnson and his friend Needham Roberts were on watch duty near the front lines. Suddenly, a dozen German soldiers launched a surprise attack. During the gunfire, both men were hit. Private Johnson saw two enemy soldiers carrying his friend away.

At this stage of the video module, students will be asked to put themselves in Private Johnson’s shoes. Facing uncertainty and imminent danger brought on by a surprise attack, how would they respond to seeing their fellow soldier carried away, even if they were wounded as well? After answering the question, they will see what other students answered and continue.

When Private Johnson saw the Germans carrying his friend away, he sprung into action and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. During the struggle, he singlehandedly overpowered several enemy raiders before throwing grenades until they retreated. 

As a result, Private Johnson saved his friend and prevented the rest of his unit from an attack. For his act of heroism, Private Johnson received the highest military honor from the French military: the Croix de Guerre. 

But, tragically, he wouldn’t receive the same honor from the U.S. for decades or even in his lifetime. In fact, he wouldn’t receive this recognition until 2015, nearly 100 years after his courageous act.

“At the time, our military was segregated, and most Black soldiers served in labor battalions, not Combat units, but General Pershing sent the 369th to fight with the French army, which accepted them as their own,” says President Barrack Obama during the module as he presents Medal of Honor to Command Sergeant Major Louis Wilson, who accepted it on Private Johnson’s behalf. “Now, America can’t change what happened to Henry Johnson. We can’t change what happened to too many soldiers like him who went uncelebrated because our nation judged them by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. But we can do our best to make it right, and we believe it’s never too late to say thank you.”

At the end of the lesson, students will receive a free-response prompt in which they unpack President Obama’s words and reflect on the importance of recognizing Private Johnson 100 years later, even though he had no reason to expect recognition. 

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Staff Sergeant Edward Carter

Staff Sergeant Edward Carter served in an all-Black truck company during World War II and is the center of this lesson. Despite repeatedly asking to join combat, the military was still segregated, and African Americans were not allowed to fight. They could only provide support. 

However, that changed in 1945, when The Battle of the Bulge took a heavy toll on U.S. troops, and the military needed replacements. In its time of need, the nation turned to its African American soldiers, providing Carter with his long-awaited opportunity to join the fight.

“When his request was finally granted, it was at the cost of his sergeant’s stripes because an African American was not allowed to command white troops,” said President Bill Clinton when presenting the Medal of Honor to Carter, whose son accepted on his behalf. “A soldier who receives the Medal of Honor usually needs no further description, but we must remember something else today. These heroes distinguish themselves in another, almost unique way, and the tradition of African Americans who have fought for our nation as far back as Bunker Hill and were prepared to sacrifice everything for freedom, even though freedom’s fullness was denied to them.” 

One day, Carter and his unit were traveling across an open field in Germany when they came under intense fire. Many, including Carter, were hit. Nevertheless, he charged towards where the attack was coming from. Suddenly, he saw eight German soldiers approaching him. 

At this point in the video, students will be asked a question that requires them to consider what they would do under such unimaginable circumstances. Seriously wounded and facing several enemy fighters, how would they respond? Would they choose to surrender or proceed forward to complete their mission despite their wounds and the overwhelming number of enemy soldiers?

After answering, they will see what other students answered before continuing and learning that, despite his wounds, Carter managed to kill six enemy troops, single-handedly capture the remaining two, and return them to his American comrades.  

Carter wouldn’t receive recognition until 1997, over 30 years after his passing. At the end of the video, students will arrive at a freer, self-exploration exercise in which they consider how Carter was determined to complete the mission and avoid capture despite heavy wounds and reflect on Carter’s choice to send his team to safety and attempt to complete the mission alone, in spite the overwhelming odds he faced. 

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Bring the Awe-Inspiring Stories of Black Medal of Honor Recipients to Your Classroom for Free!

This Black History Month, let’s honor the profound courage and resilience of Black Medal of Honor recipients who embody the true spirit of sacrifice and service. Their stories offer invaluable lessons on heroism, perseverance, and the importance of standing up for what is right, making them a powerful addition to your classroom curriculum. At the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, we’re committed to making it easier for you to bring these inspiring stories into your lessons. With our Path to Honor student portal, you’ll have free, ready-made lessons that are designed to engage and inspire students, helping them reflect on the values of courage, integrity, and patriotism.

Don’t let this month pass without sharing these incredible stories with your students. Register for Path to Honor today for free, and give your classroom the opportunity to explore the timeless lessons of these Black heroes, fostering character development and meaningful discussions.