The Library’s Black History Month programming offers reading, events, and activities that celebrate the lives of Black Americans and the long history that shapes today’s racial justice movement.

Don’t miss a Livestream on Zoom performance at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday by renowned Asheville, NC-based Bright Star Touring Theatre that includes amazing portrayals of Maya Angelou, Mae Jemison, Aretha Franklin, and even the Buffalo Soldiers.
 

To register and receive a Zoom link, visit dcls.org/specialevents.

“The Library is proud to share its rich array of resources with the community,” says Executive Director Karen Cullings. “Our commitment to racial justice lasts all year long, but February and Black History Month give us the chance to spotlight this vibrant and indispensable piece of the American story.”

Check out the rest of The Library’s Black History Month events geared for all ages:

Black History Month Reading Challenge

Library members are familiar with The Library’s traditional summer and winter reading challenges. The Black History Month Reading Challenge offers a chance to explore the wealth of literature and experiences devoted to health, wellness, and the richness of the African American experience.

As always, participants can register and find details at dcls.org/reading challenges. Participants who complete just three badges get a book to keep, and they qualify for a chance to win one of three gift certificates for Good Brotha’s Book Café in Harrisburg.

Participating is easy and flexible and to suit all interests and availability.

·         Read books celebrating and honoring the Black experience in the U.S.: Recommendations for children and adults include biographies of great Americans, histories that explain the origins of systemic racism, and celebrations of African American life. Recommendations can be found in curated Hidden Histories Collection, dedicated to enriching The Library’s collection with books for children and adults.

·         Black wellness: Participants can check out the growing number of organizations, apps, podcasts, and programs dedicated to destigmatizing mental health care and encouraging healthy lifestyles in the Black community.

·         Learn history: Go on a virtual visit to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, site of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

·         Study the pioneers: Learn about the lives of Black doctors, nurses, and activists who changed health care and other aspects of African American life. Their groundbreaking activism paved the way for Black Americans in medical careers and opened new doors to health care.

“Martin’s Big Words” in-library StoryWalk

Last summer, The Library created and installed StoryWalks at two Dauphin County sites – Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg, and on a stretch of the Capital Area Greenbelt. Both invited families to walk and engage in activities while they read the pages of a book, set up in stations along the trails.

When the weather turned cold in January, Library staff created a StoryWalk indoors to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Staff chose “Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Doreen Rappaport. The picture-book biography follows Dr. King’s journey in using the power of words to drive out hate.

The indoor StoryWalk is on display throughout Black History Month at East Shore Area, Madeline L. Olewine Memorial, William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family, and Elizabethville Area libraries.

The Library’s Youth Services Administrator Hannah Killian says the idea of indoor StoryWalks could continue for other occasions throughout the year.

“There are so many great books out there, and you want to share them,” says Killian. “You can’t discover them all, so why not put them out for people to see?”

Living history with the Young Adult Book Club

The Young Adult Book Club members are in for a treat this February – a visit from a community member who worked in the Civil Rights movement.

The club is reading All the Days Past, All the Days to Come, the latest entry in Mildred D. Taylor’s saga of the Logan family. In the 2020 book, young Cassie Logan from Song of the Trees and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, becomes involved in the Civil Rights movement and helps Black Missippippians register to vote.

Like Cassie, local resident and Library volunteer Barbara Thompson participated in the Civil Rights movement by organizing and helping people register to vote. On Feb. 16, she will join the YA Book Club to share her story, after the members have discussed All the Days Past, All the Days to Come.

“The camera film in the 1960s was in black and white, so you see these pictures and think it was so long ago,” Killian says. “But it wasn’t that long ago. There are still plenty of people who are not that old who were active workers in the Civil Rights movement. I’m hoping to help the teens see that and make it feel a little more real and a little bit more present-day for them.”  

·         To register, visit dcls.org/eventscalendar.