Tagged African American
The HistoryMakers: Enjoy African American History On-Demand
Using your library card, you can now enjoy Black history in the oral tradition via The HistoryMakers Digital Archive : the largest video archive of African American history spanning from the 1700s to the present day. This special…
All the Historic Black Newspapers Available Online With Your Library Card
What better way to learn about Black history than through the lens of Black news sources, as written and published by the African American journalists of yesterday? The Free Library is pleased to highlight a digital resource…
Celebrating Juneteenth!
The Free Library is celebrating Juneteenth! Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of enslavement in the United States and a time when we come together to celebrate this monumental occasion across the country, within our…
New Children's Books for Celebrating Juneteenth!
In 2020, the city of Philadelphia declared June 19th a city holiday in recognition of Juneteenth, an important day in the history of African Americans and our country. New children's books have been released in the last couple of…
African American Art Collecting and Research with Philadelphia Author Sherry Howard
Updated Tuesday, December 7, 2021 Sherry L. Howard is a Philadelphia-based art collector and researcher who primarily focuses on local African American art and artists. She writes about her experience in the world of art auctions…
We Have a New Federal Holiday — Juneteenth!
Two months ago was the first official celebration of Juneteenth as a national holiday. On Thursday, June 17, 2021, Congress passed and presented the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act to President Joe Biden, who signed the bill…
Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom and Cuisine
African American Independence Day, widely referred to as Juneteenth, originated in Galveston, Texas in 1865. Though the Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863, freed millions of slaves in confederate states, African Americans in…
The Commemoration of Juneteenth
The oldest known celebration of the end of enslavement in U.S. history, Juneteenth is a day that recognizes freedom and liberation. Juneteenth, a combination of the words "June" and "nineteenth, centers Black lived…
Re-Creating Our World: Join Us for the One Book, One Philadelphia Finale
Eight weeks of programs diving into The Tradition , Jericho Brown’s collection of poetry and the One Book, One Philadelphia 2021 title , have gone by in the blink of an eye. We read, we wrote, we danced, we made music and art, and…
Making Her Mark Spotlight: Poetry and Movement Building
by Suzanna Urminska and Sam Perduta Our words carry power—whether as balm or as burnish, our words have the power to come together to form poetry that recalls and reconnects a range of human experiences both personal and…
Memories of the Golden Age of Hip Hop
I bomb atomically, Socrates’ philosophies and hypotheses Can’t define how I be dropping these mockeries Lyrically perform armed robbery - "Triumph (feat. Cappadonna)" by Wu-Tang Clan, 1997 I am a rap fan.…
Picture Book Highlights | Black History Month
This February, commemorate Black History Month with books that celebrate the history, culture, and beauty of Black Americans. Written and illustrated by #OwnVoices creators, these books are the perfect way to honor this important month.…
Picture Book Highlights | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
On Monday, January 18, celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with us! These books honor Dr. King’s work and the impact of his amazing life during the Civil Rights Movement . A renowned speaker and activist, Dr. King’s words…
The History of Kwanzaa
Unlike many of the other holidays and traditions that we celebrate, Kwanzaa is one of the newest, at only 54 years old. It was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 as a way for African American families to reconnect to their roots and…
A Taste of African Heritage for Kwanzaa
Healthy Communities just wrapped a fall series of A Taste of African Heritage with instructor Paul O. Mims, who recently spoke with Oldways about Cooking, Culture, and Community During Covid . A Taste of African Heritage (ATOAH)…
Black History. Black News. Black Voices.
The Free Library is pleased to announce a new digital resource that provides access to the most distinguished African American Newspapers in the United States. Cardholders now have access to 10 historic Black newspapers that help piece…
Picture ebooks Highlights | The Old Truck
We are back with another Picture ebook Highlight , a series where we put the spotlight on an ebook that you can read at home, using the Free Library's Digital Media portal. This time we are going to talk about a book published back…
George Washington Carver: Inventor, Environmentalist, Mentor, and Role Model
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of…
In Appreciation of Octavia Butler
That’s all anybody can do right now. Live. Hold out. Survive. I don’t know whether good times are coming back again. But I know that won’t matter if we don’t survive these times. ― Octavia E. Butler, Parable of…
Juneteenth Matters
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas, and he had an announcement to make. More than two years before, President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Civil…
Black Luminaries Film Series | Malcolm X (1972)
Join the Free Library of Philadelphia's Education, Philosophy, and Religion Department for a screening of Arnold Perls' 1972 film Malcolm X. This documentary combines interviews, archival footage, and a voice-over narrator to…
James McBride | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
REGISTER James McBride is the author of the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird , “a brilliant romp of a novel” ( The New York Times Book Review ) in which a young boy born into slavery joins…
R. Eric Thomas | Congratulations, the Best Is Over!: Essays
TICKETS R. Eric Thomas is the author of the Lambda Literary Award finalist Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul America , a bestselling essay collection that tackles just what it means to be an “other” in the…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Wesley Lowery | American Whitelash: A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress
REGISTER In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak In American Whitelash , Wesley Lowery examines the cyclical pattern of violence that marks each watershed moment of racial progress…
“Mapping Imagination” Curator-Led Exhibition Tour
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Hands on History: Mapping (More) Imagination
Have you seen the exhibition Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building and want to learn more? Now’s your chance with this hands-on event featuring materials that were considered (but sadly not included) in the exhibition.…
Hands on History: Mapping (More) Imagination
Have you seen the exhibition Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building and want to learn more? Now’s your chance with this hands-on event featuring materials that were considered (but sadly not included) in the exhibition.…
“Mapping Imagination” Curator-Led Exhibition Tour
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Black Luminaries Film Series | I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Join the Free Library of Philadelphia's Education, Philosophy, and Religion Department for a screening of Raoul Peck's 2016 film I Am Not Your Negro . This documentary and social critique rounds out James Baldwin's personal…
“Mapping Imagination” Curator-Led Exhibition Tour
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Christian Cooper | Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World
REGISTER In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition Central Park birder Christian Cooper is the host and consulting producer on the National Geographic channel’s Extraordinary Birder and is on…
Blair LM Kelley | Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class
REGISTER In conversation with Marc Lamont Hill Referred to by acclaimed author and academic Michael Eric Dyson as “one of the most important works of history to come across my desk in a long time,” Blair LM Kelley’s…
African Empires and African American History
Join Ms. Gwen Ebron for a focused session of classes exploring African and African American History. Each session runs from 6:00 - 7:30 and includes time to browse our collection and check out materials. June 5: Have…
A Taste of How Long 'til Black Future Month?
Chef Tonii Hicks will prepare an citrusy herb soup inspired by N. K. Jemisin's short story, "Red Dirt Witch" from How Long 'til Black Future Month? as we discuss Black history and future. Register at…
Juneteenth Celebration: Sounds of Freedom!
In collaboration with the Parkway Central Library Music Department, Sistahs Laying Down Hands Collective Lead Percussionist and Artistic Director, Karen "Magic Fingaz" Smith & Friends presents : A special very inclusive…
Rachel Swarns | The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church
REGISTER In conversation with Erica Armstrong Dunbar Referred to by acclaimed historian Annette Gordon-Reed as a work of “prodigious research, expert storytelling, and deep empathy,” Rachel L. Swarns ’ The…
African Empires and African American History
Join Ms. Gwen Ebron for a focused session of classes exploring African and African American History. Each session runs from 6:00 - 7:30 and includes time to browse our collection and check out materials. June 5: Have…
Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Free Library resources in support of the Rosenbach's Digital Exhibition: "I Am an American!" The Authorship and Activism of Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Award-Winning African American Authors
Books by prize-winning writers.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture, and Law
This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the U.S. and the English-speaking world. It includes nearly 2,000 titles, with every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery,…
Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001)
Full access to the oldest continuously published daily Black newspaper in the United States.
HistoryMakers Digital Archive
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive is the nation's largest African American video oral history collection. It provides high-quality primary source content, with fully searchable transcripts, from thousands of people from a broad range of…
Historical Newspapers - Black Newspapers
Primary source material from ten historic Black newspapers, including the Chicago Defender, The Baltimore Afro-American, New York Amsterdam News, Pittsburgh Courier, Los Angeles Sentinel, Atlanta Daily World, and the Cleveland Call and Post
America's Historical Imprints
Explore the nation’s past in unprecedented ways. Includes books, pamphlets, broadsides and other scarce printed material, centuries of American history, literature, culture, and daily life, and extensive indexing and full bibliographic…
American State Papers, 1789-1838
A rich source of primary material on many aspects of early American history, American State Papers, 1789-1838, features not only new bibliographic records for every one of its 6,354 publications, but also superior images created by…
Airea D. Matthews | Bread and Circus
In conversation with poet Phillip B. Williams Airea D. Matthews is the 2022–23 Philadelphia Poet Laureate and directs the poetry program at Bryn Mawr College. Her collection Simulacra won the 2016 Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize and…
Samantha Irby | Quietly Hostile: Essays
In conversation with podcaster and author Kelsey McKinney “America’s most talented comic writer” ( The New Republic ), Samantha Irby is the author of four essay collections, including Wow, No Thank you. ; Meaty; New Year, Same Trash:…
Linda Villarosa | Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation
A contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and The 1619 Project, Linda Villarosa has won numerous awards for articles concerning issues of Black mother and infant health, medical myths, America’s hidden HIV epidemic,…
Camille Dungy | Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden
In conversation with Abra Lee Camille T. Dungy is the author of Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History , a debut personal essay collection that was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle…
Chad L. Williams | The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War
In conversation with Mia Bay Chad L. Williams is the author of Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era , winner of the Liberty Legacy Foundation Award from the Organization of American Historians. The…
Debra Lee | I Am Debra Lee: A Memoir
In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition The former longtime CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET), Debra Lee currently serves on the boards of several of the world’s leading corporations,…
Heather McGhee | The Sum of Us (Adapted for Young Readers): How Racism Hurts Everyone
Sandra Shaber Memorial Lecture In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak The Sum of Us , Heather McGhee’s 2021 odyssey across the American landscape of inequality, won wide acclaim for its empathetic…
Camonghne Felix | Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation
In conversation with Sharon G. Flake Camonghne Felix is the author of Build Yourself a Boat , “an exquisite and thoughtful” ( Bustle ) poetry collection that was longlisted for the National Book Award in poetry and shortlisted for the…
Reginald Dwayne Betts | Redaction
In conversation with Airea D. Matthews A “powerful work of lyric art” and “tour de force indictment of the carceral industrial state” ( The New York Times Book Review ), Reginald Dwayne Betts ’ poetry collection Felon won the NAACP…
Jamila Minnicks | Moonrise Over New Jessup
Jamila Minnicks’ debut novel Moonrise Over New Jessup tells the story of a 1950s-era, all-Black Alabama town that is resistant to desegregation and the opposing political viewpoints that threaten a young couple’s burgeoning romance.…
Joseph Earl Thomas | Sink: A Memoir
In conversation with Elias Rodriques Referred to by Carmen Maria Machado as “all blood and nerve and near-unbearable beauty,” Joseph Earl Thomas ’ Sink is a coming-of-age memoir that chronicles the author’s escape from an upbringing…
Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. | Who Hears Here: On Black Music, Pasts, & Present
In conversation with Marc Lamont Hill Professor emeritus of Music at the University of Pennsylvania, Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. is a celebrated musicologist, composer, pianist, and music historian. He is the author of Race Music: Black…
Sadeqa Johnson | The House of Eve
In conversation with Jennifer Weiner Acclaimed for their explorations of marital fidelity, friendship, and the difficulties of connecting in modern life, Sadeqa Johnson ’s novels include And Then There Was Me , Second House from the…
Dan Berger | Stayed on Freedom: The Long History of Black Power through One Family's Journey
In conversation with Michael Simmons and Robert Saleem Holbrook Dan Berger is the author of the James A. Rawley Prize winning Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era , an “illuminating” ( The Nation )…
Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone | How to Be a (Young) Antiracist
In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition Ibram X. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research.…
Clint Smith | How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak “A public intellectual with much to offer about teaching (and unlearning) history” ( The Washington Post ), Clint Smith , in his bestselling book How the Word…
Stephen A. Smith | Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes
In conversation with Mike Sielski The star of ESPN’s No. 1 morning talk show First Take , Stephen A. Smith is one of the U.S. sporting press’s most popular and outspoken personalities. He is also the host of NBA in Stephen A’s World…
Ilyon Woo | Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
In conversation with Imani Perry Ilyon Woo is the author of The Great Divorce , the “lively, well-written, and engrossing tale” ( The New York Times Book Review ) of a young mother’s five-year fight against her husband, the Shakers…
Aidan Levy | Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins
In conversation with Nate Chinen The author of Dirty Blvd.: The Life and Music of Lou Reed and editor of Patti Smith on Patti Smith: Interviews and Encounters , Aiden Levy played the baritone saxophone in the Stan Rubin…
Misty Copeland | The Wind at My Back: Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor, Raven Wilkinson
In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition The first African American principal dancer in the history of the elite American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland is one of the world’s most accomplished and…
Timeline of African American History
From the Library of Congress, a timeline of events from 1852-1925 put together to support a special digital collection entitled "African American Perspectives: Pamphlets from the Daniel A. P. Murray Collection".
The Philly Black History Syllabus: 13 Must-read Books to Understand Our City
Experts share what books spotlighting Philadelphia you should be reading during Black History Month.
The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences
This site contains profiles of African Americans who have contributed to science and engineering. Many profiles contain photographs of the scientist.
The Faces of Science
African Americans in the Sciences: This site contains profiles of African Americans who have contributed to science and engineering. Many profiles contain photographs of the scientist.
The Combahee River Collective Statement
A collective of Black feminists who have been meeting together since 1974. [1] During that time we have been involved in the process of defining and clarifying our politics, while at the same time doing political work within our own…
The 1619 Project
The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of…
Talking About Race
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture today launched Talking About Race, a new online portal designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity and the way these…
Project Ready’s Allies and Antiracism
A free online professional development curriculum by UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science, that helps to teach allyship.
Physicists of the African Diaspora
Short biographies of African American scientists prominent in physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics.
PBS’s Teaching Your Child About Black History
"Instead of shying away from hard truths, parents can explain that a long time ago, people were separated by the color of their skin. Some people did not think that was fair, and men and women of all races united to make a change. This…
Notable African-American Government Officials
Important African American Government Officials
Notable African Americans
Short biographies of prominent African Americans from all walks of life.
National Constitution Center
Daily events and activities including Decoding the Document , a workshop that examines the museum’s own rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, and the interactive Breaking Barriers show , spotlighting the…
NAACP’s Criminal Justice Fact Sheet
Includes information on Incarceration Trends in America, Racial Disparities in Incarceration, Drug Sentencing Disparities, Effects of Incarceration, and Fair Chance Hiring.
Morehouse College
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., filmmaker Shelton "Spike" Lee, and Olympic Gold Medalist Edwin Moses are among the renowned alumni of Atlanta, Georgia's Morehouse College.
Lincoln University
Lincoln University is located in southern Chester County, about 45 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Famous alumni include Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall.
Howard University
This HBCU is located in Washington, D.C.
Hampton University
Located in southeastern Virginia, Hampton University offers a broad range of technical, liberal arts, pre-professional, professional, and graduate degree programs.
Desegregation of the Armed Forces
A Collection of Documents detailing President Truman's decision to desegregate the U.S. Armed Forces.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Located just outside of Philadelphia and founded in 1837 as the Institute for Colored Youth, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the oldest of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in America.
Black History Month
In celebration of Black History Month and African American History as a whole, explore our resources on African American history and culture including famous African Americans From Philadelphia, Poets and Poetry, Speculative Fiction,…