Black History Month at Carlsbad Library

Sarah Jones
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February is Black History Month. Carter G. Woodson a Harvard-trained historian, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.

By the time of Woodson's death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life and substantial progress had been made in bringing more Americans to appreciate the celebration. At mid–century, mayors of cities nationwide issued proclamations noting Negro History Week. The Black Awakening of the 1960s dramatically expanded the consciousness of African Americans about the importance of black history, and the Civil Rights movement focused Americans of all colors on the subject of the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.

The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation's bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” That year, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first Black History Month. By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of Black history in the drama of the American story. Since then each American president has issued Black History Month proclamations. And the association—now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)—continues to promote the study of Black history all year.

You can study Black history all year at the library. We have several collections dedicated to Black History Month. Hoopla has a wide variety of items you can checkout and enjoy. Listen to music from Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis, and Billie Holiday just to name a new artists. If you are interested in listening to content but you want more than music, checkout our audiobook collection. Learn more about Frederick Douglass by listening to The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. Another great choice is Reflections by Rosa Parks. Comic, ebooks, movies, and television are all included in this collection. It offers something for everyone at any level.

Encyclopedia Britannica also has a rich collection featuring content for students and teachers. They have biographies that give students an informative glimpse into the life of a black history hero- exploring the social and historical contest behind their accomplishments and the impact they continue to have on our lives today. Learn about Shirley Chisholm the first Black woman ever elected to Congress, George Washington Carver American agricultural chemist who helped to modernize the agricultural economy of the South, or Bessie Coleman U.S. aviator who became the first African American woman as well as the first woman of Native American descent to earn a license to fly an airplane. They also have activities teachers can use to help students organize their thinking. They can learn about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lebron James and their record for the most points in NBA history. What do the top two scorers have and don’t have in common?

Use our computers to access resources outside of our community. The National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Park Services, Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum all have collections online that celebrate Black History Month. They provide history, and deeper learning for anyone.

These are just a few of the resources we have that highlight Black History Month. There are so many more to use and discover. Make sure to use the library to learn and study all year long.

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This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Black History Month at Carlsbad Library