Black History in Contemporary Context
Welcome
Black history is American history. There is so much more to the story of African-Americans than we could hope to contain on a single website. You will find in this guide a starting point to look at African and African-American art, history, current events and more. Let's start with the story of Black History Month itself- with Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950)
Library Resources
- Black History Featured ListFeatured books, audiobooks, and other items - all available for checkout. These items are on display in the library right now! Take a look!
- African American Experience This link opens in a new windowExplore African American history, art, culture, literature, music, film, sports, business, politics, education and other subjects. This database includes primary documents, articles from reference books, images and authoritative web links.
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The Importance of Black Authors
The works of Black authors are consistantly among the most challenged books in libraries. For this reason, we take this opportunity to champion the freedom to read, and the opportunity to experience empathy, understanding, and solidarity with excellent Black authors like those below (and of course there are MANY more).
Black History in Contemporary Context
Current Events
Reform / Black Lives Matter Links
- Have we truly seen justice in the trial of Ahmaud Arbery's killers?- CNN"Last Friday, the three men who chased and killed 25-year-old Black man Ahmaud Arbery in what can accurately be described as a modern-day lynching were sentenced to life in prison."
- Derek Chauvin found guilty of all three charges for killing George Floyd- CNN"The former Minneapolis Police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes last year was found guilty Tuesday of all three charges against him in one of the most consequential trials of the Black Lives Matter era."
- White Riot Police Charged with Beating Undercover African-American Police OfficerOn June 5, 2018, a pair of FBI agents hand-delivered a letter to St. Louis Police officer Dustin Boone, letting him know he was the target of a federal investigation. Boone, a burly 35-year-old, had participated in the brutal arrest of an undercover officer while working protests following the acquittal of former St. Louis cop Jason Stockley on a murder charge. Not realizing that Luther Hall was a colleague instead of a protester, Boone and his fellow officers allegedly beat him with their fists, heavy boots and night sticks. Hall later reported that the cops had "beat the fuck out of him like Rodney King," leaving him badly injured. And now the feds were looking into it.
- The Black Family in the Age of Mass IncarcerationAn Article by Journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Atlantic on the Black families and the criminal justice system.
- The Making of Ferguson -EPI ReportEconomic Policy Institute Report on Ferguson
- Arch City Defenders White PaperThis paper lays out the state of St. Louis' court system, and offers critique and solutions for making it fairer and more functional.
- Building Empathy Through Reading- Black Lives MatterThis blog discusses books that enable readers to gain empathy for the historic and contemporary experience of black folks in America.
- Missouri v. Darren Wilson Grand Jury ProceedingsThese documents, compiled by Stanford University, include the proceedings of the Grand Jury in Missouri v. Darren Wilson. Supplementary documents include testimony, autopsy reports, and other forensic information.
- The Man Who Shot Michael Brown- New YorkerAn extensive profile in the New Yorker, featuring extended interviews with Darren Wilson.
- Department of Justice Blog- March 4, 2015 Report on FergusonThis blog explains the report by the DOJ released Wednesday, March 4, 2015.