Though we celebrate the accomplishments of the people of the African and Black Diaspora all year, every February provides an opportunity to focus on and highlight the history and contributions of African Americans. Black History Month has a different theme each year, and 2024’s theme is African Americans and the Arts. There is not enough blog space on the Internet to cover this incredibly wide-ranging topic, but we at Shelf Talk want to provide a bit of background, and opportunities for you to learn more and join in the celebration.
You can learn about the history of Black History Month, which originated with the establishment of Negro History Week in February of 1926, from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History – the founders of Black History Month. You can also watch this fun and informative video by History Kids (Library card number and PIN required) for a great overview of Black History Month and its champion, Carter G. Woodson (1875 – 1950).
Learn about local Black luminaries in the arts with Crosscut’s Black Arts Legacies, which focuses on the numerous artists whose “stories help make sense of who we are — as a city and as a region — through songs, scripts, brush strokes, choreography, architecture and poetry.” And through February 29th, you can visit the Call to Conscience museum at the Columbia City Theater to view exhibits and installations created by local organizations such as the Black Heritage Society of Washington State and the Seattle Griot Project.
If you are looking for book suggestions, Library staff have created a number of resource lists focusing on the work of Black writers and artists. Check out the latest in African American non-fiction, or if you prefer novels, check out these selections of fiction related to African Americans and the Arts. Our Youth librarians created some fabulous lists, one of Teen Novels for Black History Month, and another of Books for Kids. And don’t miss the newly created list of Black Memoir and Biography, and this appropriately themed list focused on Black Artists.
And for anyone who may have missed last summer’s exhibit at the Central Library, Black Activism in Print: Visual Art from the African American Collection, you can now view many of the items from the exhibit back in their home branch, Douglass-Truth. Currently on display are art prints by masters such as Charles White, and information about the history of the African American Collection and the members of the Black Community responsible for its creation.
There are so many more ways to celebrate, and there’s no need to end on February 29th – Black History is American History, all year round and every year!
~posted by Emily G.
Leave a Comment