MDC InterAmerican Campus

Black History Month
Here is a selection of annotated websites to learn more about this celebration.
For questions about this celebration or information on Black history,
please visit your library or call 305-237-6236

African-American Women: Provides access to the thought, perspectives, and creative abilities of African-American women. Includes biographical, historical, and personal narratives. This mega site links to the best websites for researchers or casual readers.

Afro-American Almanac: This site presents a historical perspective of a nation, its people, and its cultural evolution. Included are biographies, full-text books, folk tales, documents, and information about historic events. Links to multiple resources. Recommended by the History Channel.

American Slave Narratives - An Online Anthology: This site presents a sampling of some of the interviews given to over 2,300 former slaves from across the American South by writers and journalists under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration. These former slaves provided first-hand accounts of their experiences on plantations, in cities, and on small farms.

Black Facts Online: A searchable database of historical events, experiences, and achievements of African-Americans. Individuals may search by date or by keyword

Black History Museum: Here are online exhibits on specific topics in Black History, including the Tuskegee Airmen, Slavery, the Black Panther Party, and Black Soldiers in World War II, among others

Faces of Science African-Americans in the Sciences: This site profiles African-American men and women who have contributed to the advancement of science and engineering. Individuals are indexed by profession and alphabetically. Also includes a list of the first Africans-Americans who earned doctoral degrees and lists inventors.

Malcolm X: A Research Site: This website is a comprehensive listing of information covering the life and ideology of Malcolm X. Included are a chronology, family history, words both spoken and written, and lists of books and Websites for further study.

Our Shared History - African-American Heritage: The Nation Park Service presents sites related to African-American heritage and history. These sites vary widely, including detailed travel guides, information on the Underground Railroad, ways to find African-American ancestors who fought in the Civil War, and much more.

We Shall Overcome - Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement: Presented bythe National Park Service, this site describes historic places important in the CivilRights Movement, and provides an itinerary map for those wishing to undertake anhistoric tour.

Always remember that your InterAmerican Campus Library is the best place to obtain information on the month’s celebrations. Ask a librarian for assistance.

Here is a list of other important celebrations for the Month of October with a brief annotation.

American Heart Month
Feb. 1 – 28. Volunteers across the country spend one to four weeks canvassing neighborhoods and providing educational information about heart disease and stroke. Know the warnings signs of a heart attach. Call 911. Give CPR. Web: www.americanheart.org

Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
Feb. 1 – 7. To celebrate and recognize authors and illustrators who create books for young people and promote literacy by inspiring enjoyment of quality literature. During this week, members of the Children’s Author Network speak at schools, libraries and children’s shelters. Motivate children to read and write. Web: http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/

Freedom Day Anniversary
Feb. 1, 1865. Anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s approval of the 13 th Amendment to the US Constitution (abolishing slavery): “1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exists within the United Sates or any place subject to their jurisdiction. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” The amendment had been proposed by the Congress Jan. 31, 1865; ratification was completed Dec. 6, 1865.

Greensboro Sit-In
Feb. 1, 1960. Commercial discrimination against blacks and other minorities provoked a nonviolent protest. At Greensboro, NC, four students from the Agricultural and Technical College (Ezell Blain, Jr; Franklin McCain; Joseph McNeil and David Richmond) sat down at a Woolworths store lunch counter and ordered coffee. Refused service, they remained all day. The following days similar sit-ins took place at the Woolworths’ lunch counter. Before the week was over they were joined by a few white students. The protest spread rapidly, especially in southern states. More than 1,600 people were arrested before the year was over for participating in sit-ins. Civil Rights for all became a cause for thousands of students and activist. In response, equal accommodation regardless of race became the rule at lunch counters, hotels and business establishments in thousands of places.

Hughes, Langston: Birth Anniversary
Feb. 1, 1902. African-American poet and author, born at Joplin, MO. Among his works are the poetry collection Montage of a Dream Deferred, plays, a novel and short stories. Hughes died May 22, 1967, at New York, NY. Web: http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=84 A bibliography: http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/hughesbib.htm

Library Lovers’ Month
Feb. 1 – 28. A month-long celebration of school, public and private libraries of all types. This is a time for everyone, especially library support groups, to recognize the value of libraries and to work to ensure that the nation’s libraries will continue to serve. Web: http://www.librarysupport.net/librarylovers/

For other celebrations during the month of October, please visit University of California’s Calendar.

*Always remember that your InterAmerican Campus Library is the best place to obtain information on the month’s celebrations. Ask a librarian for assistance.*

Most of the information in this page came from the Chase’s Calendar of Events, 2004*, also available in your library.