Programming Librarian

Civil rights supporters carrying placards at the March on Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 1963

Library of Congress

African American History Month

First recognized in 1976, African American History Month celebrates the vital role African Americans have played in American history. The month often has a theme; recent themes include “African Americans and the Civil War” in 2011, “The History of Black Economic Empowerment” in 2010, “The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas” in 2009, and “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism” in 2008.

General Information

The government’s primary African American History Month website was developed by the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It offers a wealth of resources, such as images, audio and video, and information on exhibits and collections, including online exhibitions. The National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian Institution also have websites devoted to African American History Month.

Library Programming

The Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, part of the Denver Public Library, hosted an African American History Month film series focusing on African American athletes, including Joe Louis and Heisman Trophy–winner Ernie Davis. The library also hosted a display of works by Robert Evans, the library’s signature artist; children’s art programs; Black History Live with Chautauquan Hasan Davis, who portrayed boxing great and American War hero, Joe Louis; and a book discussion and signing with Denny Dressman, author of Eddie Robinson, the story of Robinson’s career in college football during the Jim Crow era.

Boston Public Library hosted “Community Dialogue on Racial and Ethnic Diversity,” a five-week series of facilitated discussions about race and ethnicity led by facilitators trained at the YWCA as well as a talk by Alex R. Goldfeld, historian and local author, on Boston’s earliest African American community. In addition, the library also held a film series, Black Gold: African American Academy Award Winner, which showcased Oscar-winning African American actors, and a concert, Riffs & Raps: Jazzin’ the Generations, that offered music from the roots of jazz in blues and spirituals to current jazz.

The Newark (N.J.) Public Library focused on African American dance. Events included a performance of Egypt and other dances by the Daughters of Hetheru, along with a talk about the African roots of belly dancing; Journey into Africa by the Okra Dance Company, a performance of songs and dances from Senegal to Soweto; and an afternoon of liturgical dance, Armor Bearers for Christ, sponsored by St. James AME Church. Other events includes a poetry reading by Sonia Sanchez, author of “Homegirls and Hand Grenades”; the Annual African-American Read-In, featuring South Ward leaders reading some of their favorite poems and short essays; and a talk by Dr. Antoinette Ellis-Williams of New Jersey City University on Dr. Lee Hagan, a scholar and activist who was devoted to teaching and researching African and African American history.

The D.C. Public Library offered a wide variety of African American history–related programs in its branches. Nightlights include storytellers; trivia and Jeopardy nights; poetry and open mics; arts and crafts such as quilt construction; a soul food night with tips on cooking healthy soul and Southern cuisine; reenactors who present a program on the lives of pre-Civil War free black women; the speeches of and a lecture on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; a high tea with a discussion about one hundred must-read black books; a concert by the Temple of Praise Mass Choir; a live performance of The Fatherless Generation, a play about an African American boy’s search for personal growth and love; a Civil War encampment with reenactors and stories about the United States Colored Troops; scavenger hunts; free health screenings and a talk about the links between eye diseases and other illnesses for which African Americans are at high risk; and “My Words, My Way Forever,” with seniors reflecting on moments in black history. The library also held a number of films and film series, including Ken Burns’ The Civil War documentary and a Blaxploitation! series. Lecture topics included notable African American women; African American life and culture; African American Congressmen during the Reconstruction; the African origins of Christianity; the Harlem Renaissance; and slave narratives. Authors talks included Michele L. Norris on The Grace of Silence: A Memoir; Sheryll Cashin on The Agitator’s Daughter: A Memoir of Four Generations of One Extraordinary African American Family; and George Norfleet on A Pilot’s Journey: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman. Finally, the library hosted an exhibition titled “When I Grow Up,” which featured life-size cut-outs students created to reflect their future plans.

Teaching Resources

The teachers’ section of the African American History Month website offers a round-up of resources from the Library of Congress, the National Archives, NEH, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Park Service. Topics include civil rights; the Civil War; slavery, and African American art and artists, such as the Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-fourth Regiment, Romare Bearden, Sam Gilliam, Jacob Lawrence, and Martin Puryear.

Smithsonian Education offers a number of lessons on African American history, including The Art and Life of William H. Johnson; Black Wings: African American Pioneer Aviators; The Blues and Langston Hughes; African American Portraits; and an African American Virtual History Tour.

The University of Illinois Extension Program has a list of online African American history resources, including lesson plans and models.

Science NetLinks and the American Association for the Advancement of Science developed a number of science-related lessons for African American History Month.

Additional Resources

The Springfield (Mass.) City Library offers reading lists as well as links to museums and online exhibitions, general history and culture resources, primary sources, biographies, genealogy, study guides, and directories.

The Middletown (N.Y.) Thrall Library has African American history–related titles and topics as well as lists of databases, online reference works, and other resources available online.

The State Library of North Carolina includes links to history and reference resources, historic attractions, genealogy resources, organizations, historically black colleges and universities, demographics, and youth resources as well as a spotlight on notable African American North Carolinians.

Share Your Thoughts