Black History

  • ‘Black Activism in Print’ Exhibit Highlights Art and Community Activism

    Black Activism in Print: Visual Art from the African American Collection, now on view at the Level 8 Gallery of the Central Library, is more than just an art exhibit. Though it features beautiful art prints by prominent artists and activists Charles White and Elizabeth Catlett, it is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about… Continue reading

  • New Additions to our Black Culture and History Collection

    In July 2022, the Library began work on a Digital Heritage Grant funded by the Washington State Library to increase the availability of historic digitized materials in our Black Culture and History Collection. This month, we are wrapping up work on the grant and are excited to share some of our new additions! Thanks to… Continue reading

  • Black History in Fiction

    Each February, many readers come to the library to check out the latest titles on Black history. Don’t read history books? No worries! Whether you enjoy historical or literary fiction, thrillers or fantasy, romance or mysteries, here are some recent books that immerse us in the lived experiences of Black Americans throughout our history. By… Continue reading

  • The Negro Motorist Green Book Exhibition: March 19 – June 12, 2022

    The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition opens this Saturday, March 19, at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. This immersive, multimedia exhibit was curated by Candacy Taylor, former Harvard fellow and celebrated Green Book scholar, for the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Service. The Green Book was published between 1936 and 1966 and became the… Continue reading

  • Black History, Black Presence, Black Futures

    This February at the Central Library’s fiction department we’ve added to our traditional Black History display with sections dedicated to Black Presence and Black Futures. Can’t make it to the library? Here’s a taste of what we’ve featured here, all titles from our list of favorite Black fiction books from 2021. Black History: Gone Missing… Continue reading

  • Working it Out: From Emancipation to Economic Independence

    After centuries of receiving no or minuscule compensation (by being hired out) for their labor, formerly enslaved people, at the stroke of a pen, were responsible for their own livelihood. Seamstresses, servants, cooks, carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights and masons could ply their trade. Most, however, of this country’s enslaved workforce had been deployed to cultivate monocrops.… Continue reading

  • 20 Essential Seattle Books, Part 2: Diversity

    Here at the library, we’re often asked by both locals and newcomers, “What books are must reads for Seattleites?” While we’re not much for ‘must’ or ‘should,’ we thought we’d list twenty titles that capture essential aspects of the history and culture of this place. Not a definitive list: a jumping off place. Our first post looked at Seattle’s history, and… Continue reading