February is African American History Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society. Read More »
Omar Ibn Said Collection
The Omar Ibn Said Collection consists of 42 digitized documents in both English and Arabic, including an 1831 manuscript in Arabic on the “The Life of Omar Ibn Said,” a West African slave in America, which is the centerpiece of this unique collection of texts.
Explore the online collection »
February 5 symposium »
Image credit: Image 1 of The life of Omar ben Saeed, called Morro, a Fullah Slave in Fayetteville, N.C. Owned by Governor Owen.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become charter members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Explore the Museum »
Image credit: Photograph by Alan Karchmer for the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
African American Heritage
From the first footsteps of enslaved peoples on American soil to where Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged us all to rise to his “Dream,” national parks preserve the places where this history happened. You can also explore the many ways that the dedicated professionals of the National Park Service work to preserve and protect these sites and aid communities outside our park boundaries.
Explore this National Park Service website »
Image Credit: [History class, Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama] by Frances Benjamin Johnston, [1902] (Library of Congress)
Veterans History
African Americans serving in the military service throughout U.S. history have often fought on two fronts: fighting the actual enemy and fighting a system of segregation and exclusion. Veterans History Project (Library of Congress) The Tuskegee Airmen (National Park Service)
Image credit: Terona Chivers 1st Squad 3rd Platoon Grenadiers. (Library of Congress)
For Teachers
Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids. Educational Resources »
Image credit: "Frederick Douglass appealing to President Lincoln and his cabinet to enlist Negroes," mural by William Edouard Scott, at the Recorder of Deeds building, built in 1943. 515 D St., NW, Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress)
2019 Event Highlights
Symposium
February 5
Conversation on the Omar Ibn Said Collection
A unique half-day event featuring scholars whose work focuses on the autobiography of Omar Ibn Said and related slaves’ diaries. To date, this is the only known autobiography by a slave written in Arabic in the United States.
(Library of Congress)
Panel Discussion
February 12
What Was, What Is, and What Will Be: A Cross-Genre Look at Afrofuturism
Author/playwright Tananarive Due, novelist N.K. Jemisin, and poet Airea D. Matthews will discuss the origins and extensions of Afrofuturism in a conversation moderated by Sheree Renée Thomas. Presented in partnership with Folger Poetry and PEN/Faulkner Foundation.
(Library of Congress)
Reading & Discussion
February 13
Black Pearl Sings
A Theatrical reading and discussion of this play with the artistic director and two cast members from the Alliance for New Music Theater.
(Library of Congress)
Lecture
February 21
African American Passages: Black Lives in 19th Century
The Library of Congress's vast 19th Century manuscript collections include a small number of extraordinary documents written by African-Americans. Presenter Adam Rothman, Professor of History at Georgetown University and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Kluge Center, has been researching important Library manuscripts featuring the writing of 19th century African-Americans.
(Library of Congress)
Gallery Talk
February 22
Satchel Paige and the Negro Leagues
Reference librarian Darren Jones will discuss the legendary Satchel Paige and the story of the Negro Leagues through the lens of his remarkable career.
(Library of Congress)
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