One hundred years ago, Dr. Carter G. Woodson was among the very first scholars to ever study the history of Black people in the United States. Together with former classmates and colleagues, Woodson formed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and organized the first ever Negro History Week in 1926.  Fifty years later, President Gerald Ford stated that February would be recognized as Black History Month.  
Woodson’s legacy lives on through the organization he founded. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History continues to promote, research, interpret, and disseminate information about Black life, history, and culture year-round. They also offer incredible programs and content directly connected to Black History Month each February. You can check them out here!

While there are plenty of resources that are free to the public, Beebe Library cardholders have exclusive access to a very cool database called The HistoryMakers. Here you will find the nation’s largest collection of African American oral history videos, and our library is one of the only small public libraries to provide patrons with access to it. You can browse through the archives or search for a particular person or topic. If you type Black History Month in the search bar, you’ll be met with dozens of videos of Black scholars (many who, I’ll admit, I had never heard of before trying this exercise myself) talking about their thoughts on Black History Month as well as some tangential experiences. One that I particularly enjoyed was an interview with Dyana Williams who was the first African American on-air rock DJ and also created Black Music Month (which takes place in June!)

And for a special library tie-in to Black History Month, get to know the work of Dorothy Porter, who fought through discrimination and discouragement to become the first Black person to graduate from Columbia University with a Master’s Degree in Library Science.

Here you can watch a short video by the internet’s favorite librarian, Mychal Threets, paying tribute to her. 

Don’t forget to check out our awesome display and list where you will find book and movie recommendations that feature Black authors, filmmakers, artists and tons of Black history and culture – all of which is worth discovering and celebrating all year round!