Black History Month is held annually in February to celebrate the achievements and history of Black Americans. The idea of a week-long celebration of African American history originated in 1925, with Carter G. Woodson playing a significant role. It became a month-long event in 1976.
HPL has a number of Black History Month initiatives for adults this February. Join us as we celebrate Black history and culture through literature, film, music, and more!
If you come into the library, be sure to take a look at the reference department’s display on the first floor. The board includes images of materials from our Special Collections relating to the history of the Underground Railroad in Haverhill, images of popular recent books by Black authors, details about upcoming library programs, and more! We also have a selection of books and DVDs by Black authors and about Black history.
We have also put together a blog post featuring notable black men and women from Haverhill’s past – with photos from our archives.
Join us for a virtual program this month! We have several upcoming programs relating to Black history and movements for racial justice. All programs listed here will take place on Zoom.
- Wednesday, February 10 at 7:00 PM – Courageous Conversations: The Injustice of This Moment is Not an Aberration. A collaboration with Courageous Conversations and Memorial Hall Library.
- Saturday, February 13 at 10 AM – The Roots of Black Music in America. Presented by Karlus Trapp
- Thursday, February 18 at 6:30 PM – History of Civil Rights. Presented by Lee Thomas.
- Monday, February 22 at 6:30 PM – Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement. Presented by Galen Abdur-Razzaq. A collaboration with Memorial Hall Library and Flint Memorial Library.
- Thursday, February 25, 2:00 PM – Special Collections Show and Tell – Black History in Haverhill.
- Saturday, February 27, 7:00 PM – POSE’s 5th Annual Black History Month Celebration. Hosted by Power of Self Education (POSE) Inc., co-sponsored by Pentucket Bank and HPL.
Join us in Beanstack, as well! Sign up for our Black History Month 2021 challenge, which includes activities relating to Black Lives Matter, music, art, and more. At the end of the month, we’ll have a raffle with gift cards to local Black-owned businesses as the grand prizes! Additionally, check out our Film Club, which has activities this month highlighting Black film directors and documentaries relating to Black history.
