Tagged Black History Month
Reference Desk: Candid Conversations with Leslie and Dave!
The New Year is a time to reaffirm commitments and resolve to meet new goals. Leslie Walker , Interim Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and Dave Edwards , Interim CEO of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, are…
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: Biographies
Throughout February, in celebration of Black History Month, Picture Book Highlights will focus on books written and / or illustrated by African American authors and illustrators. Today to close out the month, we take a look at…
Dr. Rebecca Cole: Pioneering Philadelphia Doctor and African American Health Advocate
One of the joys of my profession is not knowing who will spark my curiosity to continue learning about something or someone. To celebrate Black History Month this year, I let my curiosity guide me to inventors and scientists either born…
Emory C. Malick: Trailblazing African American Pilot
Bessie Coleman is known for being the first black women to get a pilot’s license. But have you ever wondered who the first Black man was to get his pilot’s license? Meet Emory Conrad Malick , a biracial man, born on December…
Philly Jazz Legends: The Heath Brothers
This is the seventh in a series of posts highlighting major figures in Philadelphia jazz history. Every one of the bolded album titles below can be streamed free with your library card via Alexander Street’s Jazz Music…
Black Authors and Voices: Podcasts from the Author Events Archive
To commemorate and celebrate the scope of Black History Month, you can jump into our Author Events podcast archive , which dates back almost 25 years! There you’ll find an astonishing wealth of Black voices, perspectives, and…
Recommended YA Reads for Black History Month
Looking for YA titles that celebrate Black lives? Dig into these recommended #OwnVoices reads! Whether you’re into short stories, fantastical worlds, hard-hitting realistic fiction, or coming-of-age love stories, we’ve got…
Picture Book Highlights | Black History Month: Hair
Throughout February, in celebration of Black History Month , Picture Book Highlights will focus on books written and / or illustrated by African American authors and illustrators. Let’s talk about hair! All these books feature…
Introducing the HistoryMakers Digital Archive!
What do Guion Bluford , Angela Davis , Hank Aaron , Maya Angelou , Katherine G. Johnson , Eartha Kitt , Sonny Rollins , Gordon Parks , Ntozake Shange , and E. Lynn Harris all have in common? They are phenomenal Black people who have…
Picture Book Highlights | Black History Month: Grandparents
Throughout February, in celebration of Black History Month, Picture Book Highlights will focus on books written and / or illustrated by African American authors and illustrators. Today we will explore books about grandparents!…
Repetition, Rhythm, and Sometimes Rhyme
Ask a teen if they have a favorite poem and the answer may surprise you. Young people are experts in self-expression, and what higher form of self-expression is there than the poem? It probably doesn’t hurt that we introduce…
Black History Month | Spotlight on Graphic Novels
I’ve written about some of my favorite graphic novels featuring Black History before in a previous post , and those titles like March by Congressman John Lewis are still fantastic. However, it's always a good time to…
Reimagining a Recipe for Radical Self Care
by Jena Harris and Suzanna Urminska "In every race, in every nation and in every clime in every period of history there is always an eager-eyed group of youthful patriots who seriously set themselves to right the wrongs done to…
Black History Month | Black Generational Wealth Series
During Black History Month, the Mayor’s Office of Black Male Engagement (OBME) is hosting a series on Black Generational Wealth , in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Commerce and the Office of Economic Opportunity…
There’s Always Something New to Discover at the Free Library!
The first Saturday of February is Take Your Child to the Library Day! This holiday , invented by two librarians, encourages families to make a trip to their neighborhood library with their young learners leading the way. As an added…
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.…
Toni Stone: The First Female Player in the Negro League
Have you seen the movie A League of Their Own ? This famous movie highlights the early years of the Women’s Baseball League in 1943. However, if you were a Negro woman during the 1940s, segregation laws forbid you from playing.…
Follow the Free Library on Social Media this February for #BlackHistoryEveryday
When I was in grade school, I remember that we would often cover the same people for Black History Month, every year. You know the list: Martin Luther King, Jr. , Rosa Parks , Harriet Tubman , George Washington Carver , Madame…
Black History Month at the Free Library
"For while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us." Millions watched last month as Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate and the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration, spoke…
Biographies For Kids
Read biographies of famous and historical African Americans.
Barack Obama: The Making of an American President
Learn more about the life and achievement of President Obama.
African Americans Win the West
Pioneering African Americans of the Old West.
African Americans in the Cinema
Lights, Camera, Action! Dig into the world of Black filmmakers, actors and actresses.
Memoirs and Reminiscences by African American Authors
Autobiographical selections.
Award-Winning African American Authors
Books by prize-winning writers.
African American Revolutionaries and Inventors from Philadelphia
Inspiring stories and historical perspective of African American Revolutionaries and Inventors from Philadelphia through the years.
African American Quilts
Discover the beauty of these treasures of American folk art.
African American Celebrations
Explore the rich cultural traditions that are an integral part of the African American experience.
African American Books for Early Readers
Books starring African Americans for Early Readers.
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 Authorship and Activism of Alice Dunbar Nelson – I Am An American!
The Rosenbach’s exhibition, “I Am an American!” The Authorship and Activism of Alice Dunbar-Nelson , explores these questions through the lens of an under-studied local author, teacher, and advocate for social justice who changed…
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…
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…
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 Dispatches
African American Contributions to Union Intelligence During the Civil War.
Black Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
This database serves as a starting point for relatives or researchers as they begin to piece together individual experiences of black soldiers and sailors in the Civil War.
Bethune-Cookman College
Noted educator Mary McLeod Bethune founded what later became known as Bethune-Cookman College in 1904.
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,…