Black History Month History • Culture • Perspectives
This month we honor and recognize the diverse and rich history of African Americans. We will be celebrating throughout February through in-person and online events, staff-curated booklists, and a collection of online resources and exhibits.
Online Events
African American Tech Pioneers: Part Two
Thursday, February 3, 2022, 5:30 pm to 6 pmCelebrate Black History Month with the technological achievements of African Americans. Recommended for all ages.
Register
Dr. Bethune Comes to Life
Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 6 pm to 6:45 pmErsula Odom’s in-character performance brings Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to life before your eyes. “Dr. Bethune” shares impactful moments of her extraordinary life. Performance to be followed by live question and answer from the audience. Recommended for all ages.
Register
Robert W. Saunders: Courage and Sacrifice in the Midst of Jim Crow
Monday, February 14, 2022, 6 pm to 7 pmTake a critical look at the strategies Robert W. Saunders used in the 1950s and 1960s to stand up against institutional racism and discrimination in Tampa in his role as Florida NAACP Field Secretary. This presentation by Fred Hearns (Curator of Black History for the Tampa Bay History Center) is based on Saunders' 2000 publication Bridging the Gap: Continuing the Florida NAACP Legacy of Harry T. Moore. Recommended for teens and adults.
Register
Black History Playlist
Watch recordings of previous Black History programs.
Watch playlistIn Person Events
Recommended Books and Films
Black History in the Tampa Bay Area
Our Lives, Our Legacies: The Hillsborough Black Experience
The goal of this online collection is to record and preserve the stories of African American residents in Hillsborough County.
This project began when the library was awarded a grant from 'StoryCorps @ your library,' a national program designed to encourage multi-format public programming on broad themes of oral narrative, local history and heritage.
View the collection
Black Freedom Struggle
This curated selection of primary sources is designed for learning about the struggles and triumphs of Black Americans.
Black Freedom StruggleBlack Newspaper Collection
An archive of articles essential to the study of American history and African-American culture, history, politics, and the arts, spanning 1893 to 2005.
Black Freedom StruggleBlack Life in America
The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media.
Black Life in AmericaAfrican American Heritage
A comprehensive mix of resources, records exclusively devoted to African American family history research, and tools was created in partnership with leading genealogists.
African American HeritageLearn More
Online Exhibitions
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Enslaved People in the Southeast (Association of Southeastern Research Libraries)
Digital Collections
Local History
“If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go.”