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Explore African American heritage with these booklists, on-line databases, web sites and other resources assembled by Library District staff.

LIBRARY CATALOG Books for Adults The inventive spirit of African Americans : patented ingenuity by Sluby, Patricia Carter Discover the range of African American inventiveness with this collection of patents that have been filed since the start of the US Patent Office.   Books for Teens The voice that challenged a nation : Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights by Freedman, Russell Biography of Marian Anderson, a famed vocalist who left her mark on musical and social history.   Books for Older Children Whitewash by Shange, Ntozake A young African-American girl is traumatized when a gang attacks her and her brother on their way home from school and spray-paints her face white. Based on a true story.   Books for Younger Children A kid's guide to African American history : more than 70 activities by Sanders, Nancy I. More than 70 hands-on activities, songs, and games that teach kids about the people, experiences, and events that shaped African-American history.   More books for: Adults Teens Older Children Younger Children   FOR MORE LIBRARY RESOURCES TRY: African Americans Civil Rights Emancipation King Martin Luther Segregation Slavery

RESEARCH DATABASES  African-American Experience This is the definitive electronic research tool for African American history and culture. It provides information from authorities in the field, and allows African Americans to speak for themselves through a wealth of primary sources.  America the Beautiful Find information about each state including history, geography, economy, culture, government and profiles of major figures in history. Includes images of state flags, bird and seal. Also find out about American presidents, Native American tribes. Search by timeline!  Biography Resource Center Biographical information on people throughout history and around the world. Includes the Complete Marquis Who's Who. Search by occupation, ethnicity, nationality and/or gender!  Black (African-American) History Collection (GVRL) Group of eBooks available 24/7 for Black History studies.  Culture Grams Information about 182 countries and territories. Includes an elementary school age edition of 66 countries and all 50 United States. Includes information on culture, famous people, recipes and photos.  Curriculum Resource Center Grades 6-12 Award winning on-line resource of printable teacher handout materials for middle, high school and junior college curriculums. Includes materials for history, geography, science, math and health.  Curriculum Resource Center Junior Edition On-line resource of printable teacher handout materials for elementary curriculums. Includes materials for people & events in history, maps, flags, timelines, science and careers. Great homework resource.  Discovering Collection Find biographies, literary criticisms, timeline events, images, audio and video files and 500 primary source documents. A great homework helper for history, English, science and social studies classes.  Encyclopedia of Multicultural America Covers specific culture groups in the United States, emphasizing religions, holidays, customs, and languages in addition to providing information on historical background and settlement patterns.  Facts for Learning Information about almost everything, for Elementary and Middle School students. Includes This Day in History, How to make a Diorama, and has great pictures to use in your reports!  Heritage Quest Search for your family history in one of the largest resources available online. Includes census material back to 1790, 7267 family histories, 8737 local histories and 167 primary sources.  History Resource Center: Modern World Draws on themes and trends from the history curriculum for the 20th Century, and integrates reference sources, full-text articles, maps and images. Also includes full-text and facsimile images for over 1,400 primary source documents.  History Resource Center: US Provides integrated access to over 1,000 primary documents, more than 30,000 reference articles, and over 65 full-text journals covering themes, events, individuals, and periods in U.S. history from pre-Colonial times to the present.  Literature Resource Center Provides access to biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline.  Oxford Music Online Browse articles on musical genres and bibliographies of composers and artists.  World Book Student All the normal encyclopedia stuff, plus pictures and videos, Back in Time, Surf the Ages (what if there had been the Internet during the Roman Empire or Medieval times?). Great resource and fun to use! RESOURCES IN YOUR LIBRARY  African American Collection The African American Special Collection consists of specialized materials by and about African Americans. WEB SITES   When his colleague Long Arrow disappears, Dr. Dolittle sets off with his assistant, Tommy Stubbins, his dog, Jip, and Polynesia the parrot on an adventurous voyage over tropical seas to floating Spidermonkey Island. The site present and interpret thirteen migrations to, within, and out of the United States; from the transatlantic slave trade to the Western migration, the colonization movement, the Great Migration, and the contemporary immigration of Caribbeans, Haitians, and sub-Saharan Africans.  A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement Black Arts is usually dated from approximately 1960 to 1970. African American artists within the movement sought to create politically engaged work that explored the African American cultural and historical experience.  A Brief Guide to the Harlem Renaissance "The Harlem Renaissance" was enlightened by education and nourished by folk sources such as black music and the black church.  African American History University of Washington Libraries. Civil War & Slavery, Civil Rights, Sites Arranged Chronologically, Biographies  African American Writers: Poets and Poetry Web sites for African American poetry. Resources for teachers. Books about African-American poetry.  Africana Heritage Project "Our mission is to rediscover precious records that document the names and lives of former slaves, freedpersons and their descendants, and share those records on this free Internet site. "  Akan Kente Cloths and Motifs Explore the meanings in the designs of these hand-woven cloths.  Black History - Past to Present: An Interactive Treasure Hunt If you want to test your knowledge of African-American history (and even develop an essay on the topic), try the Interactive Treasure Hunt & Quiz. When you know the background information on a topic, learning more and feeling connected to the subject come naturally.  Black History Hotlist Links to Black history topics such as Black History Month, Slavery and History, Leaders, News, Poetry, Changes and General Resources.  Black History Month Activities, Biographies, a quiz and a timeline!  Brown vs. Board of Education 50 Years Webliography Based on the Famous "Separate but Equal" Supreme Court Ruling  Civil Rights in Mississippi An Internet-accessible, fully searchable database of digitized versions of rare and unique library and archival resources on race relations in Mississippi.  Dred Scott Case In 1846, Dred Scott and his wife Harriet filed suit for their freedom in the St. Louis Circuit Court. This suit began an eleven-year legal fight that ended in the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a landmark decision declaring that Scott remain a slave. Washington University Libraries has preserved the documents involved in that case.  Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History Articles, Audio, Video, Bibliography  Etheridge Knight Biography, books, references.  Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences Profiled here are African American men and women who have contributed to the advancement of science and engineering.  Female Buffalo Soldier- With Documents Cathay Williams or William Cathay (Cathey) Private, Thirty-eighth U.S. Infantry 1866-1868 An Exceptional Woman  Images of African Americans from the 19th Century The New York Public Library Digital Library Collection. Images ranked by categories: portraits, family, civil war etc.  Jackson Davis Collection of African American Educational Photographs Jackson Davis... took nearly 6,000 photographs of African American schools, teachers and students throughout the Southeastern United States. His photographs... provide a unique view of southern education during the first half of the twentieth century.  Little Rock 9, Integration 0: A Collaborative WebQuest on Racial Desegregation in Schools  Make an Adire Cloth This project is based on a dye-resist process used by the Yoruba people of Nigeria called Adire.  Malcolm This is a comprehensive website on the life and legacy of Malcolm X.  Marian Anderson: A Life in Song This site celebrates the artistic development and musical career of Marian Anderson. Renowned throughout the world for her extraordinary contralto voice, she is also remembered for her dignity and grace under pressure.  Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project The King Papers Project is a major research effort to assemble and disseminate historical information concerning Martin Luther King, Jr. and the social movements in which he participated.  North American Slave Narratives Collects books and articles that document the individual and collective story of African Americans struggling for freedom and human rights in the18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.  PBS Kids Africa: Explore Africa with Anansi An African treasure hunt, and crafts!  PBS: Africa for Kids Make your own mask, listen to a Swahili folktale or create your own music on this dynamic web site.  PBS: African American World African American World for Kids - where you can play games, send e-cards and meet kids!  Remembering Jim Crow American - black and white - remember life in the Jim Crow times.  Shomburg Center for Research in Black Culture A part of the New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center is the leading research facility and resource for learning about African American life. The Schomburg Society for the Preservation of Black Culture is made up of committed men and women who are passionate about our mission to preserve the history and tell the story of the African American experience  Slave Letters Original manuscripts in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University.  The Underground Railroad Travel back in time with this interactive National Geographic web site that recreates the journey to freedom.  Through the Lens of Time: Images of African Americans from the Cook Collection of Photographs Search or browse nearly 300 images of African Americans dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth century from the Cook Collection of Photographs.  Voices from the Gaps A great place to learn about the lives and works of North American women writers of color.  W.E.B. Du Bois Papers, 1803-1999 Foresighted scholar, author in many genres, co-founder Niagara Movement and NAACP, crusading editor of The Crisis and other journals, convener of Pan African Congresses, international spokesperson for peace and for the rights of oppressed minorities.  Women of Color Pages Rare slave letters, biographies of slaves etc.  Writing Black Literature and History written by and on African Americans. LOCAL RESOURCES  Clark County School District's African American Culture links Information for local programs and resources to support African American culture. NATIONAL RESOURCES  African American History Month The Library of Congress honors the memory of the nation’s African-American forebears in recognizing the importance of ethnic diversity with the 2008 theme of “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism.” Woodson (1875–1950), known as the “Father of Black History,” devoted his life to increasing public awareness of African-American history. In 1926 he founded Negro History Week, the precursor of Black History Month.  African American Mosaic A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History & Culture.  African American Odyssey Public access to a wide range of historical and cultural documents.  African American Perspectives From the Library of Congress: Pamphlets from the Daniel A.P.Murray Collection. 1818 - 1907.  African American Research From the National Archives, records from pre-civil war, civil war, and post-civil war.  African American Sheet Music - 1890-1920 From the Library of Congress - the collection includes many songs from the heyday of antebellum black face minstrelsy in the 1850s and from the abolitionist movement of the same period.  African Americans in the Visual Arts A Historical Perspective This exhibit tells the story of the African-American artists' quest for creative recognition in their chosen art forms. Over 60 personalities are on display with biographical facts and information. Many examples of their creations are also represented. Included are: painters, sculptors, muralists, engravers, portraitists, print makers, illustrators, photographers, woodcut printers, lithographers, folk artists, and cartoonists. Books, pictures, photos, magazines, museum catalogs, visual crafts, [etc.] are on display.  American Slave Narratives "From 1936 to 1938, over 2,300 former slaves from across the American South were interviewed by writers and journalists under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration. These former slaves, most born in the last years of the slave regime or during the Civil War, provided first-hand accounts of their experiences on plantations, in cities, and on small farms. Their narratives remain a peerless resource for understanding the lives of America's four million slaves. What makes the WPA narratives so rich is that they capture the very voices of American slavery, revealing the texture of life as it was experienced and remembered."  Emancipation Proclamation From the National Archives, information and links to images of the actual document  Frederick Douglass Papers The Library of Congress presents the papers of the nineteenth-century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher.  We Shall Overcome Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement