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Black History Month

Celebrate - Black History Month

History of Black History Month

Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, honors Americans of African descent throughout history who fought against adversity, oppression, and discrimination, as well as those who continue to work towards equality, equity, and unity for all.  Black History Month grew out of Negro Week, sponsored by the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in 1925.  The second week of February was selected to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  After the Civil rights movement of the 1960s and early 1970s, in 1976, President Gerald R. Ford designated February as the nation’s first African American History Month.

For more information on the national recognition of African American History Month, visit https://africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/

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Living History Museum

Save the Date for the 2025 Living History Museum! 

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Sunday February 23, 2025 from 2-3pm at the Peninsula Center Library

Join our young presenters, who will portray their heroes from African American history! Learn about well known and lesser known leaders, scientists, artists and civil rights leaders as the children demonstrate the impact their heroes have had on the lives of all Americans. The children participating in the museum will inspire, inform and uplift our community!

To learn about how your child in TK - 8th grade can participate, contact Laura Henry at lhenry@pvld.org

Check out the 2022 Virtual Living History Museum of African American Heroes held on Sunday, February 27, 2022:

Featuring video portrayals by children of their heroes, the museum is a celebration of the important African Americans who fought against adversity, who work towards equality, who create music and art, and who demonstrate the power of sports in society. In 2022, 18 children ranging in age from preschool to 8th grade portrayed their heroes, which included James Jamerson, Katherine Johnson, Nick Gabaldon and more. Winners for the Living History Museum, Inc. Scholarship Competition awards were also announced.

Watch the official 2022 Living History Museum announcement here:

Check out Living History Museum of African American Heroes event from 2021:

Meet Walter Scott, Katherine Dunbar, Langston Hughes, and more at the The Living History Museum of African American Heroes! Thirty-six children from 4th - 8th grade created and submitted outstanding videos in which they portrayed their heroes. The first Living History Museum Essay Award winners were also announced.

Photos from past Living History Museums: 2018, 2017

This program is presented in partnership with:

The Living History Museum, Inc.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority - Rolling Hills/Palos Verdes Alumnae Chapter

The Links, Inc. of Palos Verdes

Jack and Jill South Los Angeles Chapter

Black History Month - Read, Watch, and Listen

Kids

For more titles for kids, click here

Teens
  • Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Book, Overdrive eBook)
  • Static Season One by Nikolas Draper-Ivey (Book, Hoopla eBook)
  • Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson (Book)
  • The Davenports by Krystal Marquis (Book)
  • Dark Testament: Poems by Crystal Simone Smith (Book)
  • Make it Messy: My Perfectly Imperfect Life by Marcus Samuelsson (Book)
  • A Long Time Coming: a Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama (Book)
  • The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson (Book, Hoopla eBook, Hoopla eAudioBook)
  • American wings : Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky by Sherri L. Smith (Book)
  • We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson (Book)

For more titles for teens, click here

Adults

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Watch

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Listen

Podcasts

Music CDs, click here

African American Couple Kayaking