February Virtual Display: Black History Month

Text reads "Black History Month" from Cleveland Public Library

February is Black History Month! This month recognizes the history of Black people in the United States, including their achievements, struggles, and contributions.

Follow the links below to check out some ebooks, videos, articles, and other digital resources. To access ebooks click the link next to “Get It Now At:” and sign in with your lab username and password. Some may have a link at the top of the page that says “Check for full text” instead. Non-Clark Libraries resources do not require a Clark Labs account.

eBooks from Clark College Libraries

The cover of Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party. There is an image of a man in a Black Panther uniform in the center.

Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party by Joshua Bloom

The cover of SOS -- Calling All Black People: A Black Arts Movement Reader. There's an artistic portrait of a Black woman in the center.

SOS — Calling All Black People: A Black Arts Movement Reader by John H. Bracey Jr, Sonia Sanchez, & James Smethurst

The cover of Black Reconstruction in America: Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America. There is a black and white drawing of two sides of a crowd, one with Black people and one with white people, looking angry at each other.

Black Reconstruction in America: Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860-1880 by W. E. B. Du Bois

The cover of Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones, and the New Protest #Journalism. There is an image of three Black men on the cover.

Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones, and the New Protest #Journalism By Allissa V. Richardson

The cover of We Are an African People: Independent Education, Black Power, and the Radical Imagination. Below the title there is an image of a large group of Black children.

We Are an African People: Independent Education, Black Power, and the Radical Imagination by Russell Rickford

The cover of Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition.

Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition by Cedric J. Robinson

The cover of Violence Against Black Bodies: An Intersectional Analysis of How Black Lives Continue to Matter. There's an image of a Black Lives Matter protest.

Violence Against Black Bodies: An Intersectional Analysis of How Black Lives Continue to Matter by Sandra Ellen Weissinger, Dwayne Mack, & Elwood Watson

Outside Resources

Articles

10 Little Known Black History Facts

“In an effort to honor this expansive and growing history, Black History Month was established by way of a weekly celebration in February known as “Negro History Week” by historian Carter G. Woodson. But just as Black history is more than a month, so too are the numerous events and figures that are often overlooked during it. What follows is a list of some of those “lesser known” moments and facts in Black history.”

100+ LGBTQ Black Women You Should Know: The Epic Black History Month Megapost

“So, in honor of Black History Month, below you’ll find over 100 lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer and transgender women you should know about. If she was still alive, the oldest person in this list would be 189 years old. The youngest person on this list is a mere 21 years of age. Like all our lists of this sort, this post aims to contain a wide variety of humans of all ages and backgrounds, from reality TV show stars (despite its numerous failings, Reality TV has been a major mainstream source of LGBTQ visibility dating back to the early ’90s) to State Representatives to actresses to game-changing activists.”

Black Disability History, Vol. I: Reclaiming the Black Disabled Experience

“So, I thought I’d share some of it here, recalling the names of those who’d survived — and those who hadn’t — alongside those who were still alive and making changes today. You’ll hear about the latter soon. Some of these stories are triumphant, and happy. Others are very tragic and sad, discussing issues related to abuse and Ableism, touching on recurring-problems that we typically raise in the Disability community. That said, they’re all necessary if people are to understand what Black Disabled and/or Neurodiverse folks experience.”

Black History Month: How It Started and Why It’s in February | Time

“A number of mayors had already adopted the celebration as a municipal event by the time President Gerald Ford decreed Black History Month a national observance in 1976, on both the fiftieth anniversary of the first iteration and America’s bicentennial year. ‘In celebrating Black History Month,’ Ford said in his message, ‘we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.'”

Black History Month Isn’t Racist, It’s a Form of Reparations

“To say that Black History Month is meant to celebrate racial difference posits that this country and its capitalistic bases are not fundamentally tied to racial, gender, and class differences. Those differences essentially constitute the American way of life. That black Americans have a month set aside to honor them — outside of a white lens that has often framed them as criminal, negligent, or unworthy of historical referent — isn’t racist against anyone. It’s a form of reparations.”

Getting Black Trans Women’s Needs Met: An Interview With Phoebe VanCleefe

“Phoebe fights so that black trans women struggling with homelessness to get their needs met. Phoebe knows the injustices that Black trans women face are issues of gendered violence, police brutality, immigration and customs enforcement and the prison industrial complex. Her work highlights how the lived experience of trans organizers is paramount to deconstructing systems that contribute to LGBTQ homelessness.”

GLAAD celebrates black LGBT icons throughout Black History Month

“Every year, Black History Month recognizes the accomplishments, journeys, and contributions of African Americans throughout history. This year, as in years past, GLAAD is working to ensure that the lives of black LGBT people are included in the celebration.”

How Black Lives Matter Is Changing What Students Learn During Black History Month

“That memory — and the lasting impact of a college class that looked at race head-on — is part of the reason why Hagopian, 41, and other educators inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement organized a national Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, now in its third year. What started locally in Seattle in 2016, inspired by a federal investigation into the higher rate of suspensions of black students compared to their white peers, has grown into a nationwide organizing effort.”

The Overlooked History of Black Disabled People

“What do Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Mary Davidson have in common? They were all important Black historical figures who made incredible strides in our nation’s ongoing struggle for human and civil rights, and they were all disabled.”