Government Resources on Anti-Racism: Black History Month
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Take a look through this LibGuide to learn more about Black History Month and National Black American Inventor
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.
Every February during Black History Month and throughout the year, the National Park Service and their partners share stories, rich culture, and an invitation for all Americans to reflect on Black history in parks and communities across the country. More than 400 years of Black history and heritage—including achievements, contributions, and historical journeys—are remembered and commemorated in places preserved for current and future generations.
SAAM’s website and physical spaces hold artworks and resources aplenty to take a deep dive into the presence and impact of African American artists on our world. In honor of Black History Month, here are a few of their favorite videos of artists speaking about their life, work, and inspiration.
FindLaw.com - Civil Rights: U.S. Supreme Court DecisionsFrom race and gender discrimination to sexual orientation discrimination and struggles over disability rights, civil rights cases are a very significant area of law that the U.S. Supreme Court has encountered on many occasions. This page includes a list of U.S. Supreme Court decisions involving civil rights and discrimination.
National Archives - Brown v. Board of EducationThe Supreme Court's opinion in the Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954 legally ended decades of racial segregation in America's public schools. Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case. State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. This historic decision marked the end of the "separate but equal" precedent set by the Supreme Court nearly 60 years earlier and served as a catalyst for the expanding civil rights movement.
This exhibit marks the publication of The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture. A noteworthy and singular publication, the Mosaic is the first Library-wide resource guide to the institution's African- American collections. Covering the nearly 500 years of the black experience in the Western hemisphere, the Mosaic surveys the full range size, and variety of the Library's collections, including books, periodicals, prints, photographs, music, film, and recorded sound. Moreover, the African-American Mosaic represents the start of a new kind of access to the Library's African-American collections, and, the Library trusts, the beginning of reinvigorated research and programming drawing on these, now systematically identified, collections.
This book presents a broad survey of the Library of Congress's holdings concerning the history and culture of black Americans in the United States. It provides titles of bibliographies, other guides, aids to finding materials, and individual items. This guide, which is arranged chronologically, discusses Library of Congress collections in three main parts: Part 1, "African-Americans in the Antebellum Period," includes materials about: slavery; free blacks; and abolitionists' antislavery movements, and sectional controversy. Part 2, "Emancipation and Beyond," begins with the Civil War, moves into the Reconstruction era, (which includes materials dating to approximately 1880), and ends with what is called the Booker T. Washington era, which spans the years from 1880 to approximately 1915. Part 3, "And the Pursuit of Happiness," discusses: World War I and Postwar Society; the Depression, the New Deal, and World War II; and the Civil Rights era.
Welcome to the African American History Research Center (AAHRC) Digital Archive! Here you will find some of our digital holdings of curated and highly requested photographs, papers, and oral histories that represent the Black experience in Houston and Texas.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution.
The National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) began as a private educational institution in 1964 to promote cross-cultural understanding in the social sciences and arts. Founded by Warren M. Robbins, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer, it was known as the Museum of African Art and located on Capitol Hill in a townhouse that had been the home of Frederick Douglass, the African American abolitionist and statesman. In August 1979, by enactment of Public Law 95-414, the museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge.
Online version of an exhibition held at the Library of Congress from February 9 to August 29, 1994. Covering nearly 500 years of the Black experience in the Western hemisphere, surveys the Library's collections, including books, periodicals, prints, photographs, music, film, and recorded sound.
Presidential Portraits
The Obama Portraits by Taína Caragol; Dorothy Moss; Richard Powell; Kim SajetA richly illustrated celebration of the paintings of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama From the moment of their unveiling at the National Portrait Gallery in early 2018, the portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama have become two of the most beloved artworks of our time. Kehinde Wiley's portrait of President Obama and Amy Sherald's portrait of the former first lady have inspired unprecedented responses from the public, and attendance at the museum has more than doubled as visitors travel from near and far to view these larger-than-life paintings. After witnessing a woman drop to her knees in prayer before the portrait of Barack Obama, one guard said, "No other painting gets the same kind of reactions. Ever." The Obama Portraits is the first book about the making, meaning, and significance of these remarkable artworks. Richly illustrated with images of the portraits, exclusive pictures of the Obamas with the artists during their sittings, and photos of the historic unveiling ceremony by former White House photographer Pete Souza, this book offers insight into what these paintings can tell us about the history of portraiture and American culture. The volume also features a transcript of the unveiling ceremony, which includes moving remarks by the Obamas and the artists. A reversible dust jacket allows readers to choose which portrait to display on the front cover. An inspiring history of the creation and impact of the Obama portraits, this fascinating book speaks to the power of art--especially portraiture--to bring people together and promote cultural change. Published in association with the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC
Call Number: E908.3 .O35 2020
ISBN: 9780691203287
Publication Date: 2020-02-11
Select Publications at the Kelley Center for Government Information