Looking for a great read? Try some of these African-American authors:
River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarkson
Orange, Mint and Honey
by Carleen BricePush
by SapphireWhat Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day
by Pearl CleageRed River
by Lalita TademyBe Careful What You Pray For
by Kimberla Lawson RobyUp to No Good
Do you love urban fiction? Do you enjoy reading authors like:Teri Woods, Nikki Turner, Shannon Holmes, K'wan and Deja King?
In 1926 Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week. Woodson believed that national attention needed to be brought to the contribution of black people throughout American history.
The month of February was chosen because it included the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976 the weeklong holiday was extended to the month of February and renamed Black History Month. The 2010 theme for Black History Month is "The History of Black Economic Empowerment."
Discuss The Turnaround by George Pelecanos on February 9, 2010, at 4:00 p.m.
Watch the Film Roots (NR):
Ages 12-17 are invited into the teen space at Benning library on Fat Tuesday to make Mardi Gras masks, listen to traditional Zydeco music, and taste authentic New Orleans snacks.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream; what’s yours? Participate in an
essay contest, and you could win a prize. Submit entries between
December 15 and January 13. A first-, second- and third-place winner will
be selected. For more information, call 202-442-7740/7741. Ages 6 -
12.
For the latest on construction progress, check out our Benning Library construction update page.
What was being a slave in the United States really like? This database has links to more than 4,000 interviews with former slaves in the 1930s. The stories cover both what it was like to be a slave and what it was like to be free. Here are some excerpts:
“One instrument of torture is worthy of particular description. This was an oak club, a foot and a half in length and an inch and a half square. With this delicate weapon she would beat us upon the hands and upon the feet until they were blistered.”
–Lewis Clarke
“I had been in jail but a short time when I heard that my master was sick, and nothing brought more joy to my heart than that intelligence. I prayed fervently for him—not for his recovery, but for his death.” –William W. Brown
