In 1926, in response to the lack of information on the accomplishments of Black people available to the public, Carter G Woodson co-founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History declared the second week of February as Negro History Week. This week was chosen because it includes the birthdays of both Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Black history was not widely studied and was not included in history books prior to this. President Ford expanded the recognition to Black History Month in 1976, and it has been celebrated ever since.
Black History Month was created to bring attention to the contributions of African American people to the United States. While this is still a focus of Black History Month, it has evolved into a tribute to black culture. A time of acknowledgement, reflection, and inspiration.
To learn more during Black History Month, and throughout the rest of the year, check out some of the collections available on our e-services with your library card and PIN.
- Kanopy has a Black History Month collection of African American Cinema and documentaries and films on Black History, Major Figures, and Current Events. Films include Spike Lee’s Bamboozled and Alice featuring Keke Palmer.
- Hoopla’s Black History Month collection includes eBooks, audiobooks, music, movies, comics and TV shows. Music from Stevie Wonder and Billie Holiday, books for all ages, and films from Ken Burns and Samuel L. Jackson.
- Axis 360 offers eBooks and audiobooks in their Racial Justice collection, including popular titles like Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi, Dear Martin by Nic Stone, and The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
- Libby offers two separate collections. One features African American nonfiction titles like Becoming by Michelle Obama, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. The other collection features African American fiction titles like Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, Kindred by Octavia Butler, and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
- Newsbank has a Black Life in America collection available on their website. This includes historical documents from the arrival in America all the way up to current day.
We also have quite a few titles in the library available for check out. Give us a call or stop in to check one out or place a hold.
