Bucks County Free Library: Black History Is American History

Press release from the Bucks County Free Library:

February 1, 2024

In 1976, when President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month he asked Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Nearly fifty years later, as racial justice continues to be a topic of national conversation, it is increasingly important to reflect on these immense accomplishments while also recognizing the challenges black Americans continue to face.

Here are some recent titles from our collection that can help guide our thoughts on the past as we look towards the future:

We also encourage out patrons to learn about and reflect on the incredible history that happened and is happening in and around Bucks County:

James McBride – In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded McBride a National Humanities Medal “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America. This Lambertville-based author’s most recent New York Times bestselling novel, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, is set in Pottstown, PA and involves an African American and immigrant community’s struggle to survive.

Jean Toomer – Toomer is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking novel, Cane, which is considered a classic of the Harlem Renaissance and modernist literature. Here in Bucks County, where Toomer lived for the last 30 years of his life, he retired from writing and became an active member of the Doylestown Friends Meeting.

Neshaminy Journal: the Bucks County historical and literary journal. Vol 5, No. 1 – The latest issue of Bucks County’s historical and literary journal contains an exclusive interview with Linda Salley, the Executive Director of the African American Museum of Bucks County.

For more eBooks and eAudiobooks to celebrate black history this month and all throughout the year, please visit our Black History Month shelves on cloudLibrary.

Comics Plus is also highlighting stories that feature black characters, creators, and history. Check out this collection of comics and graphic novels, Black History, Black Voices

Pennsylvania’s Power Library gives library cardholders access to Black Freedom Struggle in the United States, a database of primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history.

This press release was produced by the Bucks County Free Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.