african american history month

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Photo by U.S. Army Signal Corps from Library of Congress [U.S. Army Infantry troops, African American unit, marching northwest of Verdun, France, in World War I]
Deborah Savage, February 27, 2024

World War One broke out in Europe in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The United States remained officially neutral and stayed out of the war for several years.


Collage of books about Black musicians
Diedre Johnson, August 08, 2023

Music legends don’t start out that way. First, they are children with a love for music and the motivation to learn, even if they face seemingly impossible odds along the way. Below are seven superstars that harnessed their creativity and accomplished their dreams.


Elizabeth Catlett, artwork with a boy and a girl and a red ball, and photo of Margaret
Angela B. Charles, March 21, 2023

In honor of World Poetry Day, I would like to bring attention to, of course, a poet, Margaret Walker but also a sculptor and artist, Elizabeth Catlett, and a book that features the two women’s creative styles—For My People.


prominant Black history makers
Catherine Royalty, February 08, 2023

Browse the HistoryMakers digital archive for interviews with fascinating individuals who have made significant contributions to life in the United States.


Amanda Charles and Candacy Taylor in the rare books room
Amanda Charles, February 07, 2023

Los Angeles Public Library has the second largest collection of Green Books, and we were honored to speak to Candacy Taylor, author of Overgrou


Canvas triptych mural features Dr. Bethune by Charles White. A folktale-themed hand-carved, glazed ceramic tiles by Cha-Rie Tang
Catherine Sturgeon, August 09, 2022

The current building of the Exposition Park - Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Library is an LEED Gold Certified (environmentally sustainable design) structure built in 2008.


African-American classical composer, Julia Perry
Alan Westby, February 23, 2022

Julia Perry (1924-1979) was an American composer of African descent who had remarkable success in Europe and the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s. She made an international impression with her Stabat Mater, composed in 1951, and her Short Piece for Orchestra the following year.


Pictured: Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bich Ngoc Cao,City Librarian John Szabo, Meg DeLoatch

John Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama, the third oldest son of ten children. His father was a tenant farmer, while his mother earned extra money doing housework for other families.


Collage of albums by African Americans available on Freegal and hoopla
Daniel Tures, February 18, 2022

February is African American History Month, but every month is a good month to celebrate African American history and culture, and what better place to do so than your local library!


Norma Merrick Sklarek in front of the big blue whale
Vi Ha, February 15, 2022

In order to showcase the technology available in the Octavia Lab, celebrate the diversity of Los Angeles, and demonstrate how library resources, such as Tessa, the library's online digital archive, and historical newspaper databases, can be used towards social justice, Octavia Lab staff have been creating


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