Since 1976, the United States has recognized February as
“Black History Month,” a month to highlight the achievements of African
Americans to the country’s history. The national theme for Black History Month
this year is “African Americans in Times of War,”
commemorating the end of World War I and the role that African Americans played
in defending the US in times of armed conflict.
Here at Terrebonne Parish
Library, we are proud to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to
American history. Whether you are working on a school project with your child,
or you simply want to know more about African American history and culture, our
library system provides a variety of sources to educate and inform.
In addition to print resources,
the library has an expansive collection of high quality, always available
online reference resources. These encyclopedias and reference books are exact
duplicates of the ones that are on the shelves at the library. They can be used
by multiple patrons at a time, and don’t need to be “checked out” like a
traditional book or ebook. All you need to access these from home is an active
Terrebonne Parish Library card.
Salem History, which can be
found on our website under the “Databases” tab, has multiple resources useful
for researching African Americans in war. Some of the most useful are Great
Lives from History: African Americans, Defining Documents in American
History, both Civil War and World War I, and the Decades
series, which examines the history of the country with a volume highlighting
each of the decades of its existence. For a more contemporary look at the
African American experience, Current Topics: Civil Disobedience, Social
Justice, Nationalism & Populism, Violent Demonstrations and Race Relations
offers selected essays from Salem Press exploring the issues affecting American
communities today.
Also available through our
database subscriptions is the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale features
titles on biography, history, science, and the arts on a broad range of
subjects. Particularly interesting to those studying African American history
are the Contemporary Black Biography series Gale Library of Daily
Life: Slavery in America, American Social Reform Movements, and Americans
at War. All feature extensive information on the African American
experience.
In addition to these reference
materials, our collection includes popular biographies and autobiographies
featuring a range of African American lives, available both digitally and in print, as well as other non-fiction books by and
about African Americans. From historical narratives, such as Solomon Northup’s 12
Years a Slave, to powerful modern stories like The Short and Tragic Life
of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs and Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward,
these books tell stories of heartbreak and courage in the face of adversity.
During Black History Month and
all year round, Terrebonne Parish Library is here to educate, entertain,
and inform by providing quality sources of information and high quality
programming for our patrons to enjoy. Stop by your local branch today, and let
us help you find your next great read!
