Celebrate Black History Month with the Library

Every February, we celebrate Black History Month to recognize the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture. The roots of this celebration can be traced back to Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, who established a weeklong celebration in February of 1926 to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. Since 1976, every February has been designated Black History Month with a special theme. The 2024 theme "African Americans and the Arts" highlights the history and influence of African American artists in the visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music and more.

Here are upcoming events and library resources to honor Black voices and achievements.

Library Events

• February 3 at 11 AM: Family Storytime: Celebrate Black History Month!, opens a new window
• February 21 at 3 PM: Button Making Pop-up for Teens: Celebrate Black History Month!, opens a new window

Book Lists

• Black History Month: Picture Book Biographies
• Picture Books Celebrating Black Joy
• Black History Month: Middle Grade Reads
• Graphic Novels Featuring Black Protagonists and Stories, opens a new window
• Black Superheroes 
• Black Voices: New Memoirs
• Celebrate Black Artists

Anti-Racist Resources

• Get training on Allyship, opens a new window,  Anti-racism, opens a new window through LinkedIn Learning, opens a new window
• A Reading Guide to Fighting Racism
• Anti-Racist Books for Teens
• Anti-Racism Books for Kids 
• Additional educational resources on race & equity, opens a new window

Ebooks & Audiobooks

• Check out Libby's (Overdrive) collection of African American Fiction, opens a new window. 

Music

• Stream albums, opens a new window by Black artists on Hoopla
• View full length concerts, opens a new window from music legends such as Nina Simone on Qello concerts. 
• Enjoy jazz concerts and documentaries, opens a new window featuring Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan and more on Medici.TV.

Film

• Black Voices & Stories in Film, opens a new window
• Explore Kanopy’s collection of African American films and documentaries, opens a new window.
• Check out this YouTube playlist, opens a new window curated by PBS highlighting Black history, culture, art, and more.

Research

• Did you know Dr. Patricia Bath pioneered the laser treatment for cataracts? What about Dr. Charles Drew's revolutionary research on blood plasma that made blood banks possible? Use Biography in Context, opens a new window to learn about the many amazing contributions by African Americans you might not have known about!
• Access Ancestry, opens a new window and use this guide to get started researching African American family history.
• Discover diverse books and related instructional materials for PreK-12 with Teaching Books, opens a new window.  

To access most of these resources, all you need to do is log in with your library card, opens a new window. We hope you discover some great tools to continue celebrating and learning about Black history all year long!