African American Resource Center

Black History Month

Living Legends

Living Legends Selected Images

Celebrating Black History Month

History of Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual observance in February, celebrating the past and present achievements of African Americans. In February 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, proposed the establishment of "Negro History Week" to honor the history and contributions of African Americans to American life. Dr. Woodson, known as the "Father of Black History", chose the second week of February because it commemorates the birthdays of two men who greatly affected the African American community: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14). Negro History Week became Black History Week in the early 1970's. In 1976, the week-long observance was expanded to a month in honor of the nation's bicentennial.

Black History Month is sponsored by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The Association was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter Woodson--historian, teacher, author and publisher. Each year the Association designates the national theme for Black History Month. The 2018 theme is “African Americans in Times of War.”

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"Lift Every Voice and Sing" Anthem

Often referred to as the "Negro National Anthem", this song was written by James Weldon Johnson and his brother J. Rosamond Johnson in 1900 for the celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. It was originally performed by children at its premiere in Jacksonville, Florida. James W. Johnson was a notable poet who later went on to become one of the founders of the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Rosamond Johnson was a successful composer of music for Broadway.

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"I Have A Dream" Speech

One of most indelible speeches of the Civil Rights Movement is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's eloquent speech "I Have a Dream" from the August 28, 1963, rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Dr. King and other Black ministers formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 to expand the struggle against racism and discrimination. By early 1963, Dr. King and the SCLC launched non-violent demonstrations to protest racial discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama, then one of the most segregated cities in the United States. In reaction to the violent police actions, President John F. Kennedy proposed a wide-ranging civil rights legislation to Congress.

Dr. King along with other civil rights leaders then organized a massive march on Washington, D.C., to urge Congress to pass Kennedy's bill. On August 28, 1963, nearly a quarter of a million people gathered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to hear King and others. The highlight of the rally was Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech which has since defined the civil rights movement, not only for African Americans but for all people.

The civil rights movement won a significant victory in 1964 when Congress passed The Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination in public places and promoting equal opportunities in education and employment. Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and is remembered today for his vision and his legacy.

For more information:

"I Have a Dream" Speech
Provides the text and audio of the speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.

The King Center
Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work, the King Center offers a wide range of information­biographical information on Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, the King Holiday and other historical information.

The Seattle Times: Martin Luther King
Contains stories and photos from the Seattle Times as wells as time lines for Martin Luther King and for the Civil Rights movement. Click on the "His Words" to hear excerpts from King's most famous speeches, including two excerpts from "I Have a Dream" and one from the speech Dr. King gave the day before he was assassinated in 1968.

The King Papers Project (Stanford University)
The project is a major research effort to assemble and disseminate information about Martin Luther King and the social movements he worked for. The Frequently Requested Documents include the "I Have a Dream" speech which can be viewed in multiple languages by clicking on the flag icons. The site also includes biographical information, King's sermons and other material.

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Reading Lists

Celebrating the Cultural Heritage of African American Writers

Selected Resources for the Study of African American History and Culture

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Additional Information

African American Resource Center, County of Los Angeles Public Library

Located at the A C Bilbrew Library, the African American Resource Center (AARC) was established in 1978 to support research and study on the social, historical, musical and cultural aspects unique to the "Black Experience." There are links to general African American websites and topics such as Juneteenth and Kwanzaa.

U.S. Census Bureau, Black History Month Feb 2017

Facts and statistics about African Americans.

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Black History Month Events

• Wed, Jan 10, 3:30 PM: Book Club for Grades 4-8 - at the Wiseburn Library
• Tue, Jan 16, 5:00 PM: 2018 Film Series: Underground Railroad: The William Still Story - at the George Nye Jr. Library
• Tue, Jan 16, 6:00 PM: Book Club - at the Littlerock Library
• Wed, Jan 24, 4:30 PM: Ina Buckner-Barnette, the Sunshine Storyteller - at the Florence Library
• Thu, Feb 1, 11:00 AM: African American Miniature Museum - at the A C Bilbrew Library
• Thu, Feb 1, 2:00 PM: Classic Movie Matinee: Malcolm X - at the West Hollywood Library
• Fri, Feb 2, 11:00 AM: African American Miniature Museum - at the A C Bilbrew Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 10:00 AM: African American Miniature Museum - at the A C Bilbrew Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 11:00 AM: African American Beginning Genealogy Workshop - at the Duarte Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 1:00 PM: Baba the Storyteller - at the Montebello Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 2:00 PM: African Tribal Masks - at the Carson Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 2:00 PM: African Djembe Drum Workshop - at the Claremont Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 2:00 PM: Black History Month Celebration - at the El Monte Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 2:00 PM: Rockin Violinist - at the Hacienda Heights Library
• Sat, Feb 3, 2:00 PM: African Drum and Dance - at the Paramount Library
• Mon, Feb 5, 4:30 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the Norwood Library
• Tue, Feb 6, 3:30 PM: Teen Tuesdays- Black History Bingo! - at the Sunkist Library
• Tue, Feb 6, 4:00 PM: We Shall Overcome: The History of African-American Music - at the Masao W. Satow Library
• Tue, Feb 6, 5:00 PM: Black History Month Films - at the Graham Library
• Tue, Feb 6, 6:15 PM: African and African American Tales - at the Charter Oak Library
• Tue, Feb 6, 6:30 PM: Baba the Storyteller - at the San Dimas Library
• Wed, Feb 7, 4:00 PM: Celebrating the Blues - at the Hawthorne Library
• Wed, Feb 7, 4:30 PM: African Drum & Dance - at the Florence Library
• Wed, Feb 7, 6:00 PM: The Actors' Gang Reads from the Play Top Dog/UnderDog - at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library
• Wed, Feb 7, 6:00 PM: Jazz Appreciation Class - at the Malibu Library
• Wed, Feb 7, 6:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the Wiseburn Library
• Thu, Feb 8, 3:30 PM: African Dance Rhythms - at the South El Monte Library
• Thu, Feb 8, 6:00 PM: Black History Month: African American Artists - at the El Monte Library
• Thu, Feb 8, 6:00 PM: 'Out of the Dust': A Black Pioneer Family Story - at the Sunkist Library
• Fri, Feb 9, 1:00 PM: Friday Cinema: Southside With You - at the Norwalk Library
• Sat, Feb 10, 1:00 PM: Brother Yusef: Blues for Kids! - at the East Rancho Dominguez Library
• Sat, Feb 10, 1:00 PM: Sunshine Drum Circle Stories - at the Lake Los Angeles Library
• Sat, Feb 10, 2:00 PM: African Dance Workshop - at the A C Bilbrew Library
• Sat, Feb 10, 2:00 PM: African Djembe Drum Workshop - at the Castaic Library
• Sat, Feb 10, 2:00 PM: Michael D. McCarty, Storyteller - at the La Mirada Library
• Sat, Feb 10, 2:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the Rowland Heights Library
• Sat, Feb 10, 2:00 PM: Live in Concert! Music of Scott Joplin and Classical Artists - at the West Covina Library
• Mon, Feb 12, 4:00 PM: Teen Art Activity: Paper Quilt Squares - at the A C Bilbrew Library
• Mon, Feb 12, 5:00 PM: Movie Screening: Race - at the Agoura Hills Library
• Mon, Feb 12, 5:00 PM: African Fabric Figures - at the Angelo M. Iacoboni Library
• Mon, Feb 12, 6:15 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the Charter Oak Library
• Tue, Feb 13, 10:00 AM: Book Club for Adults - at the Hacienda Heights Library
• Tue, Feb 13, 3:30 PM: African and African American Tales - at the La Canada Flintridge Library
• Tue, Feb 13, 4:00 PM: African Drum & Dance - at the Agoura Hills Library
• Tue, Feb 13, 5:00 PM: Movie Screening: The Tuskegee Airmen - at the Acton Agua Dulce Library
• Tue, Feb 13, 5:00 PM: Black History Month Films - at the Graham Library
• Tue, Feb 13, 6:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
• Tue, Feb 13, 6:00 PM: African Djembe Drumming - at the Leland R. Weaver Library
• Wed, Feb 14, 3:00 PM: African Drum Circle - at the Gardena Mayme Dear Library
• Wed, Feb 14, 3:00 PM: Travelling Shoes / Historias afroamericanas - at the Graham Library
• Wed, Feb 14, 3:30 PM: Book Club for Grades 4-8 - at the Wiseburn Library
• Wed, Feb 14, 6:30 PM: African Drum & Dance - Black History Month - at the Baldwin Park Library
• Thu, Feb 15, 3:30 PM: African Drumming and Dancing - at the Lancaster Library
• Thu, Feb 15, 4:00 PM: Story Telling with Michael McCarty - at the Acton Agua Dulce Library
• Thu, Feb 15, 4:00 PM: African Tribal Masks - at the San Fernando Library
• Thu, Feb 15, 6:00 PM: Book Club for Adults: Between the World and Me - at the Norwood Library
• Fri, Feb 16, 3:30 PM: Storytelling with Michael McCarty - at the Anthony Quinn Library
• Fri, Feb 16, 5:00 PM: Black History Month Documentary Series: Bridging the Divide - at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 10:30 AM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 2:00 PM: Black History Month Movie Screening: Selma - at the Castaic Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 2:00 PM: Dance Around the World - at the Claremont Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 2:00 PM: Moment to Moment with the Mills Brothers - at the Compton Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 2:00 PM: Jungle Drum Circles with Chazz Ross - at the Hawthorne Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 2:00 PM: African and African American Tales - at the Temple City Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 3:00 PM: The Spirit of Black Folklore - at the Diamond Bar Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 3:00 PM: Singing the Blues with Brother Yusef - at the West Hollywood Library
• Sat, Feb 17, 3:00 PM: Djembe Drum Workshop - at the Woodcrest Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 1:00 PM: African Tribal Masks - at the Willowbrook Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 3:30 PM: African Tribal Masks - at the Lynwood Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 4:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the Lawndale Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 4:00 PM: Drum Circle with Chazz - at the Littlerock Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 5:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month - at the East Rancho Dominguez Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 5:00 PM: Black History Month Films - at the Graham Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 5:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month - at the La Canada Flintridge Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 6:00 PM: African Dance Rhythms - at the Hollydale Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 6:00 PM: Book Club - at the Littlerock Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 6:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month - at the South Whittier Library
• Tue, Feb 20, 7:00 PM: Storytelling - at the Hacienda Heights Library
• Wed, Feb 21, 3:00 PM: Talking Drums - at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
• Wed, Feb 21, 3:30 PM: African Drum Circles with Chazz Ross - at the Lawndale Library
• Wed, Feb 21, 3:30 PM: African Tribal Masks - at the Sunkist Library
• Wed, Feb 21, 4:00 PM: African Mask Dot Art - at the Lancaster Library
• Wed, Feb 21, 4:00 PM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month - at the Woodcrest Library
• Wed, Feb 21, 4:30 PM: African Dance Rhythms - at the Rivera Library
• Thu, Feb 22, 3:45 PM: Kids' Club: Mr. Markus Music - at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library
• Thu, Feb 22, 4:00 PM: Family Storytime Special Event: Baba the Storyteller - at the Clifton M. Brakensiek Library
• Thu, Feb 22, 4:00 PM: Teen Documentary: Tuskegee Airmen - at the Rivera Library
• Thu, Feb 22, 4:00 PM: African Dance with Teresa Smith - at the Woodcrest Library
• Fri, Feb 23, 1:00 PM: Friday Cinema: Marshall - at the Norwalk Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 10:30 AM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month - at the South El Monte Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 11:00 AM: African Tribal Masks for Black History Month! - at the La Mirada Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 11:00 AM: Genealogy Workshop - at the Woodcrest Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 12:00 PM: Adult Book Club - at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 1:00 PM: Celebrating Our Veterans - at the A C Bilbrew Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 1:00 PM: Mr. Markus Music Show - at the Willowbrook Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 2:00 PM: Blues with Brother Yusef - at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 2:00 PM: Author talk by Robert Johnson - at the Hawthorne Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 3:00 PM: African Tribal Masks - Black History Month - at the Baldwin Park Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 4:00 PM: Follow the Drinking Gourd Family Activity Night - at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 4:00 PM: Storyteller Michael D. McCarty at Follow the Drinking Gourd Night - at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library
• Sat, Feb 24, 5:00 PM: Paint Night for Adults! - at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library
• Mon, Feb 26, 5:00 PM: Movie Screening: Loving - at the Agoura Hills Library
• Mon, Feb 26, 5:00 PM: Documentary @ the Library! - at the Lancaster Library
• Tue, Feb 27, 4:00 PM: African Drum Circles - at the Pico Rivera Library
• Tue, Feb 27, 5:00 PM: Black History Month Films - at the Graham Library
• Tue, Feb 27, 5:30 PM: Adult Book Club - at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library
• Tue, Feb 27, 6:30 PM: African Drum Circle - at the Duarte Library
• Tue, Feb 27, 6:30 PM: Book Club - at the Quartz Hill Library
• Wed, Feb 28, 12:00 PM: Art Activity for Adults: African Tribal Mask // Actividad de arte para adultos: M�scara tribal africana - at the El Camino Real Library
• Wed, Feb 28, 3:30 PM: African Drum & Dance - at the La Crescenta Library
• Wed, Feb 28, 4:00 PM: Faux Leather Vase - at the Lancaster Library
• Wed, Feb 28, 4:00 PM: Tales and True Stories of Black History Month - at the Manhattan Beach Library
• Wed, Feb 28, 4:00 PM: Teen Documentary: February One - at the Pico Rivera Library
• Wed, Feb 28, 6:00 PM: Book Club - at the Masao W. Satow Library
• Wed, Feb 28, 6:00 PM: African Djembe Drum Workshop - at the West Hollywood Library
• Fri, Mar 16, 5:00 PM: Black History Month Documentary Series - at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library
• Sat, Mar 17, 2:30 PM: Road of Ash and Dust by Eric Cyrs - at the Live Oak Library
• Sat, Mar 17, 2:30 PM: Road of Ash and Dust by Eric Cyrs - at the Live Oak Library