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 2023 theme "Black Resistance" highlights the struggles, hopes, and progress that have come about in the resistance against oppression.

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

Library Events

• February 11 at 11 AM: Stay Woke: A Social Justice Book Club
  • Discussing: When Stars Are Scattered, opens a new window by Omar Muhamed & Victoria Jamieson
• February 14 at 12 PM: Brown Bag Book Club, opens a new window
  • Discussing: The Girl with the Louding Voice, opens a new window by Abi Dare
• February 16 at 6 PM: Teen Movie Night: Black Panther, opens a new window
• February 17 at 3:30 PM: Family Craft: Paint a Rainbow, opens a new window
• February 21 at 11 AM: Family Storytime: Celebrate Black History Month!, opens a new window

Book Lists

• Picture Books: Black History Month 
• Black History Month: Biographies for Kids  
• Graphic Novels Featuring Black Protagonists and Stories, opens a new window
• Black Superheroes 
• Suspenseful Stories by Black Writers    
• Black Scientists, Inventors, Creators, and Entrepreneurs  

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 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!