African American and Black History Month
What is African American and Black History Month?
African American and Black History Month is celebrated in February each year. It is a time to recognize, celebrate, and honor the rich and diverse history, important contributions, and achievements of Black and African Americans.
African American and Black History Month continues to be supported by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), its founding organization, who also designates its annual theme.
The 2023 Black History Month theme is Black Resistance, which the ASALH describes as “a call to everyone, inside and outside the academy, to study the history of Black Americans.”
How did African American and Black History Month come into being?
In 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson—historian, teacher, and author—founded ASALH. In February 1926, Woodson proposed the establishment of “Negro History Week” to honor the history of African Americans and their contributions to American life.
Dr. Woodson, known as the Father of Black History, chose the second week of February because it commemorates the birthdays of two men who greatly affected the African American community: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14).
“Negro History Week” became “Black History Week” in the early 1970s. In 1976, the week-long observance was expanded to a month in honor of the nation’s bicentennial and has remained a month-long commemoration ever since.
What is LA County Library doing to celebrate African American and Black History Month?
We’re celebrating all February with in-person and virtual programs for all ages, and you’re invited!
On February 21 at Lancaster Library, you can learn about the Underground Railroad and make your own freedom quilt squares using simple sewing techniques. On February 22 at Live Oak Library, we’ll be Talking Drums with Ina, The Sunshine Storyteller, who will share afro-centric folktales and songs. On February 25 at Compton Library, learn about the rich legacy of African Americans in equine and western heritage and their influence on music, entertainment, and fashion with Randy Savvy, from The Compton Cowboys: A New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland. Also on February 25, we’ll have a virtual genealogy workshop on that will guide you in researching and honoring African American ancestry with professional genealogist and family historian, Charlotte Bocage.
Please see below for more details and registration info for these and other great LA County Library events and resources celebrating African American and Black History Month.

Heart and Hand Virtual Book Talk: The Legacy of Bruce’s Beach
Join us for a conversation about the legacy of Bruce’s Beach, and the role of community and media in spreading awareness about social justice issues. Library Director Skye Patrick will moderate an insightful conversation between Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, historian and author of Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites During the Jim Crow Era and Dominique DiPrima, host of First Things First on KBLA TALK 1580. This program will also feature a special appearance from Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, an instrumental leader in the County’s effort to return Bruce’s Beach to its descendants. For adults.

Tattooing the African Diaspora with James Spooner
While Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) are deeply connected to tattoo history, the industry is riddled with misinformation when it comes to dark skin. James Spooner, who specializes in tattooing richly pigmented skin, will dispel those myths, and advise on how to get a quality tattoo. He will also discuss African body modification traditions and their ties to current tattoo practices. For adults.

Celebrating Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a day of remembrance commemorating the end of slavery on June 19, 1865. Join us for a celebration of freedom with storyteller and educator, Binnie Tate Wilkin, who will engage us with Juneteenth history, stories, folktales, and personal reflections. For teens and adults.

Eyes on Snapshots
Our Black Resource Center and The Community Writers Group of Los Angeles, a multi-generational group of writers passionate about preserving African American history and culture through the writing of personal narratives, invite you to experience an afternoon of memoirs and personal portraits. For adults.
Virtual Author Talks
- Author Talk with Sadeqa Johnson: Award-Winning Author of Yellow Wife
February 28, 1 pm - Southern Inspired: Author Talk with Celebrity Chef Jernard A. Wells
March 21, 1 pm
Past Author Talks
Celebrate African American and Black History Month with LA County Library. Food nourishes the body and helps tell people’s stories. Explore the rich culinary traditions of Black Americans through cookbooks and capture your own culinary story using the recipe card template. For adults.
Celebrate African American and Black History month by listening to tunes from this playlist highlighting Black jazz musicians.
From African American Cinema to documentaries on historical events, watch films on Kanopy curated specifically for African American & Black History Month.
Learn about the history of Bruce’s Beach and our Bruce’s Beach Commemorative Collection at Manhattan Beach Library.
Celebrate African American and Black History Month this February with fiction and nonfiction titles appropriate for all ages. Explore great books that focus on the Black and African American experience—everything from a reinvention of The Little Mermaid to an empowering story of African American women who formed their own suffrage associations.
Find more to read in our Black Resource Center Digital Reading Room in OverDrive.