Last Updated on February 16, 2023, 12:00 pm ET
Black History Month, a global observance which seeks to honor the collective contributions of those who hail from the African diaspora, focuses on the past, present, and future achievements of its constituency.
ARL member institutions, likewise, call attention to this observance by hosting events, showcasing exhibits, videos, and other meaningful resources during the month of February. To get involved or to learn more, view the list below.
Events | Blog Posts | Exhibits | Other Resources
Events
Wednesday, February 1
Library of Congress
Black History Month 2023: Black Resistance
10:00-5:00 p.m. EST, Thomas Jefferson Building, Great Hall, 2nd Floor (LJ200-E)
University of Maryland Libraries
The 1856 Project Inaugural Symposium
- Session 1: The 1856 Project in Context
- Session 2: Researching Slavery and the University
- Session 3: Slavery, Its Legacies, and Public History
- Session 4: Universities Studying Slavery at Maryland Colleges and Universities
1:00–5:00 p.m. EST, STAMP Student Union
Thursday, February 2
Boston Public Library
Matthew F. Delmont—Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad
4:00–5:00 p.m. EST, virtual
Tuesday, February 7
Boston Public Library
Documentary Club: The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975
5:30–7:30 p.m. EST, Mattapan Branch Library
New York Public Library
Freedom Narratives: David Wright Faladé, llyon Woo with Lynn Nottage
6:30–7:30 p.m. EST, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Tulane University Libraries
Black History Month Scavenger Hunt
5:30–6:30 p.m. CST, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library 602
Wednesday, February 8
New York Public Library
Author Talk with Ricky Tucker: And the Category Is…
6:30 p.m. EST, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL)
Thursday, February 9
Boston Public Library
Black Boston Stories: Growing Up
6:00–7:00 p.m. EST, Grove Hall
New York Public Library
Black Lives in the Diaspora: Past, Present, Future
6:30 p.m. EST, Schomburg Center & Online
Tuesday, February 14
New York Public Library
KidsLIVE with Author Kelly Starling Lyons
3:30 p.m. EST, online
University of Maryland University Libraries
Fourth Annual Black History Month Read-a-thon
11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. EST, MCK 6137
Thursday, February 16
New York Public Library
Harlem Chamber Players’ 15th Annual Black History Month Concert
6:30–8:30 p.m. EST, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Tuesday, February 21
Boston Public Library
Black History Month Program for Children: Poetry Workshop with Boston Youth Poet Laureate Finalist Yolanda Oliveira
2:00–3:00 p.m. EST, Chinatown Branch Library
UConn Library
Film Screening: Rosewood (1997)
6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. EST, Virtual
Wednesday, February 22
Boston Public Library
Black History Month Program for Children: Poetry Workshop with Boston Youth Poet Laureate Finalist Yolanda Oliveira
2:00–3:00 p.m. EST, Codman Square Branch Library
The Ohio State University Libraries
Narratives of (Dis)Enfranchisement: Reckoning with the History of Libraries and the Black and African American Experience
10 a.m. EST, virtual
UConn Library
Discussion: Rosewood Film & History with Ms. Lizzie Robinson Jenkins, Founder & President of the Real Rosewood Foundation, Inc. and Rosewood descendant
6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. EST, virtual
Thursday, February 23
Boston Public Library
Black History Month Program for Children: Poetry Workshop with Boston Youth Poet Laureate Finalist Yolanda Oliveira
2:00–3:00 p.m. EST, Parker Hill Branch Library
University of Maryland Libraries
The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakenings–A Panel Presentation and Discussion in Honor of Black History Month
3:00–4:15 p.m. EST, virtual
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
28th annual Du Bois Lecture: Chad Williams, “The Wounded World: W.E.B. Du Bois and the First World War”
6:00 p.m. EST, virtual
VCU Libraries
Lecture Featuring Smithsonian Expert on Black Music Dwandalyn Reece
7:00–9:00 p.m. EST, James Branch Cabell Library Lecture Hall and virtual
Monday, February 27
UConn Library
Black History Month Closing Ceremony
6:00 p.m. EST, Student Union Ballroom
Blog Posts, Exhibits, and Other Resources
Blog Post
Boston Public Library
Black History Month blog post
“Black Is…” booklist
Indiana University Bloomington Libraries
Black Brilliance, Beauty, and Creativity blog
McGill University Library
Black History Month at McGill Library
Syracuse University Libraries
Black History Month 2023
The Ohio State University Libraries
Black Joy Exhibit: Expansive, Unfiltered, Unapologetic
University of Guelph
Black History Month: Celebrating Black Achievement blog
UNC University Libraries
Black History Month blog
University of Louisville Libraries, Ekstrom Library
Black History Month 2023 blog
Exhibits
New York Public Library
Black History Month
- Treasures: Voices in Black History exhibition
- Boundless: 10 Years of Seeding Black Comic Futures
February 1–28, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Texas Tech University, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
A Timeline of Diversity and Inclusion at Texas Tech
February 1–28
UConn Library
Disorder in the Night: Narratives of Black Resistance, 1723-2023
February 1-28, 2023
University of Houston Libraries
The Genesis of UH African American Studies
MD Anderson Library
February 13–March 13
University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library
Black History Exhibit
Other Resources
New York Public Library
Discover the Lives of Black Pioneers in New Picture Books
Princeton University Library
PUL Honors Black History Month
Syracuse University Libraries
- Black Hairstyles: Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America
- Featured Book-Mental Health: African Americans and the Culture of Pain
- Featured Book-Resilience and Joy: Living While Black: Using Joy, Beauty, and Connection to Heal Racial Trauma
- Featured Book-Resistance: Black Power: Radical Politics and African American Identity
- Featured Book-Invited Speaker: All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
- Featured Database: Black Life in America
UC Santa Barbara Library
Resources on Race, Racial Relations, and the Black Experience in the USA
University of Illinois Chicago, University Library
Black History Month: Featured books and other media
