Black History and Cultural Heritage

Since 1976, Black History Month has been celebrated nationally and been recognized by every United States president during the month of February. Prior to that, Black History Month began as a week-long celebration in 1926 during the 2nd week of February, created by historian Carter G. Woodson and the newly-named Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This celebration inspired many communities to host their own celebrations, and encouraged teachers to demand for more educational materials for their students regarding Black history. (source: blackhistorymonth.gov)

Past Black History Month Themes:

2019: “Black Migrations”
2020: “African Americans and the Vote”
2021: “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity”
2022: “Black Health and Wellness”

2022 Events

Shaping the Future Together: How Libraries Can Support Communities of Color
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time

Symposia

In February 2022, the SJSU iSchool hosted a symposium in honor of Black History Month titled, “Shaping the Future Together: How Libraries Can Support Communities of Color.” The symposium featured two keynote speakers, 2020-2021 ALA President Julius Jefferson and CLA President Jené Brown, as well as several panelists who shared their experiences advocating for diverse information needs.

Library and Information Science Best Practices

Best Practices from “Shaping the Future Together: How Libraries Can Support Communities of Color”:

• Serve as a mentor for up-and-coming librarians
• Create more library decision-making seats at the table for BIPOC folks
• Amplify the voices and perspectives of communities of color 
• Seek out partnerships with organizations that are already supporting BIPOC folks

Community Profiles

• Understanding Good Library Management with Tiffany Duck
• Jessica Pryde On Diversifying Your Career and Your Bookshelf

• Alumnus Randall White on Changing the World with Informatics
• iSchool Alumnus Darnelle Melvin talks Metadata, Linked Data, and Digitization
• Family and Travel Open the World of Librarianship to MLIS Graduate

Professional Associations

• Black Caucus American Library Association

• National Conference of African American Librarians
• Black History Month
• Programming Librarian: Black History Month Resource Round-Up

Bibliography

• Grant Project Aims to Introduce Librarianship to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Don’t Miss: The SJSU iSchool’s Diversity Webcast Series
• How to Contextualize Black History (Month): A Q&A With Travis Boyce
• SJSU MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center

Videos