Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and it is typically when we have a newsletter story featuring works by or about black authors, scholars, historians, and artists. But this year, taking a cue from the staff at the San Francisco Public Library, we would like to offer some links to resources that you can refer to throughout the year, not just during the month of February.

The San Francisco Public Library last year dubbed their celebration of Black History Month, “More Than a Month” noting the name is “...  an effort to emphasize that reflection, open dialogue, interdisciplinary education and shared advocacy needs to take place in our communities during Black History Month, as well as all year round.”

That is a stance shared by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History That organization’s website reads: “Black History Month is not a token. It is a special tribute—a time of acknowledgement, of reflection, and inspiration—that comes to life in real and ongoing activities throughout the year, just as the work of ASALH has for 106 years steadily asserted both racial pride and the centrality of race and the Black experience to the American narrative and heritage.”

The celebration that would become Black History Month began back in 1926, when ASALH’s founder Dr. Carter G. Woodson first established “Negro History Week” during the second week of February. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded the celebration to an entire month.

Here are some resources that might help students, staff and faculty choose their reading material and viewing over the course of the year, not just the month of February.

NYPL Schomburg Center Black Liberation Reading List

The New York Public Library’s “Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, one of The New York Public Library’s renowned research libraries, is a world-leading cultural institution devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences.” Their Black Liberation Reading List includes many items in the MacPhaidin Library Collection, including  Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay, Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine, Men we Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward, So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? By Martin Luther King, Jr., and many more.

Recommended Documentaries 

Stonehill has access to the following critically acclaimed documentaries through the Films on Demand streaming media database: The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross; Eyes on the Prize; and Soundtrack for a Revolution: Freedom Songs from the Civil Rights Era;

TED Talks

We recommend Inc. Magazine's Six Must-Watch Ted Talks to Understand Black History and Diversity, Harvard University’s TED Playlist: Talks to Help You Understand Racism in America

Health and Wellness Resources

As ASALH has chosen “Black health and Wellness” as this year’s theme for Black History Month, we would also like to highlight some resources recommended by Stonehill’s Counseling Service.

 

 

 

 

For You