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Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
How has hip-hop influenced your favorite authors? Enjoy creative activities with your family as you watch event videos from the Library of Congress reflecting on the importance of hip-hop as self-expression for young people.
Posted in: African American History, Music
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
Learn what inspires Angie Thomas in this excerpt from her 2021 National Book Festival talk and related Library of Congress collections.
Posted in: African American History, Lit Bit, Writing
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
This post was authored by Monica Valentine, Program Specialist in the Informal Learning Office. June 19th became a federal U.S. holiday in 2021. This date, known as Juneteenth, commemorates the anniversary of Union troops arriving in Galveston, Texas in 1865 with an announcement of freedom for enslaved African-Americans. Though President Abraham Lincoln had issued the …
Posted in: African American History
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
This post is by Caneisha Mills, the 2022-2023 Library of Congress Teacher in Residence. The life and experience of Gordon Parks ensure his photographs speak to a range of audiences and help others perceive the world as he viewed it. In an article for the March/April 2023 issue of Social Education, the journal of the …
Posted in: Activities & Crafts, African American History
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
This post is by Caneisha Mills, the 2022-2023 Library of Congress Teacher-in-Residence. What life experiences foster creativity for artists? One artist whose life answers this question is Katherine Dunham. She was a trailblazer in anthropology and modern dance, mixing dance genres to express her point of view as an artist. Born in Chicago in 1909, …
Posted in: African American History, Dance, For Kids
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
This post was co-written by Alli Hartley-Kong and Monica Valentine, Education Programs Specialist in the Informal Learning Office. How much diversity do you see in teen romance novels? During the pandemic, author Dhonielle Clayton spent time with her teenage niece binge-watching movies. As Clayton explained at the 2022 National Book Festival, her niece asked, “why …
Posted in: African American History, Books & Author Programs, For Teens, Writing
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
This post contains research conducted by Khrisma McMurray, a summer 2022 Junior Fellow at the Library of Congress. As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. this year, we invite your families to explore the different ways that children participated in the civil rights movement and the impact that Martin Luther King, Jr. …
Posted in: African American History, Civics & Government
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
This summer, I was inspired by our programs at National Park to explore my own family connections with baseball. This post is a follow-up to my colleague Lauren’s post, “Baseball History: Reflections & Family History Activities”. My grandfather grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, home of his baseball hero—Larry Doby. After serving in World War …
Posted in: African American History, Sports
Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong
This post was written by Monica Valentine, Program Specialist in the Library’s Center for Literacy, Learning and Engagement 1968 was a turbulent year. Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, and protest movements echoed across the world. The summer Olympics in Mexico City were no exception to this backdrop. During the medal ceremony, …
Posted in: African American History, Books & Author Programs, Events, For Kids, For Teens