Black History Month – Celebration and Protest

Tessa
Tessa

In the century since the first national commemoration of Black history, Black Americans have celebrated and protested countless times, asserting their right to joy and their unique story and identities. This list provides a small cross-section of writers and artists whose works show the multiplicity of ways that Black voices have been raised in celebration and protest, from foodways to photography, from marching in the street to writing a poem, from the creation of national holidays to the creation of a family. 

Jan 31, 2026

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In the Catalog

Black Panther Woman

Black Panther Woman

The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins

Mary Frances Phillips

Mary Phillips tells the story of what it meant to be a radical Black Panther Party queer woman, navigating extraordinary challenges, and beating enormous odds including carceral violence, political repression, and state terror while also balancing motherhood and thriving through her unwavering commitment to spiritual practices.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

Choosing Family

Choosing Family

A Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance

Francesca T. Royster

Francesca Royster’s home in Chicago’s North Side is one that celebrates and honors chosen family. Royster reflects on her journey to home and motherhood from Black, queer, and feminist perspectives, expanding her meditation to how Black family has been celebrated and conceived of in America – as a reclamation of joy.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

First Freedom

First Freedom

The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth

Angélique Roché, Alvin Epps, Millicent Monroe, and Bex Glendining

A nonfiction graphic novel that tells the story of the life of Opal Lee, known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, and the history of the holiday itself.

From the Catalog

I'll Make Me A World

I’ll Make Me A World

The 100-year Journey of Black History Month

Jarvis R. Givens

Harvard historian Jarvis R. Givens unspools the history of Black History Month from 1926 to today, using primary sources from archives, personal histories, and more.

From the Catalog

A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook

A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook

Celebrating the Holiday With Family, Community, and Tradition

Jessica B. Harris

A Kwanzaa Keepsake offers proverbs, ceremonies, family projects, inspirational biographies, blessings, and of course, wonderful recipes. Structured around the seven days of Kwanzaa and the virtues each day represents, Harris shares a themed feast for each night, designed to reflect the principle of the day.

From the Catalog

The New Brownies' Book

The New Brownies’ Book

A Love Letter to Black Families

Karida L. Brown, ed

Created by and for Black families today, this anthology is filled with inspiring essays, poems, photographs, paintings, and short stories reflecting on the joy and depth of the Black experience.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

No Justice, No Peace

No Justice, No Peace

From the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter

Devin Allen

A collection of inspiring and powerful photographs of Black Lives Matter protests from Devin Allen and Civil Rights protests from Gordon Parks, along with essays from Black writers and thinkers across the centuries.

From the Catalog

From Libby

On Juneteenth

On Juneteenth

Annette Gordon-Reed

Historian Gordon-Reed draws on her personal history as a Texan descended from enslaved people to illuminate the history of Juneteenth and its place in Texan and wider American history.

From the Catalog

From Libby

From Hoopla

Reprise

Reprise

Golden

An innovative work of portraiture and poetry, ‘Reprise’ maps a personal search for safety in a US that offers none. Golden meditates on Blackness, nationalism, gender, legacy, navigating what it means to live both in the North and South, and their impacts on freedom. ‘Reprise,’ Golden’s sophomore collection, honors the living siege & sorrow, rage & revival, joy & creation of being Black and trans in post-2020 America.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

Roots, Heart, Soul

Roots, Heart, Soul

The Story, Celebration, and Recipes of Afro Cuisine in America

Todd Richards with Amy Paige Condon

Chef Todd Richards explores West African diaspora cooking in the Americas, spanning history from the slave trade through the Great Migration, with over 100 recipes and narratives.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

There's A Revolution Outside, My Love

There’s A Revolution Outside, My Love

Letters From A Crisis

Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman, eds.

An anthology of letters, essays, poems, and other personal reflections on the protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Writers from across America bring their own raw emotion to this intimate collection calling for resistance and hope.

From the Catalog

This Is the Honey

This Is the Honey

An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets

Kwame Alexander, ed.

A comprehensive collection featuring over 150 poems, including works that explore joy, love, origin, race, resistance, and praise.

From the Catalog

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