Portrait of two young African American women

Collections Spotlight: Works by Civil War Era African American Women

These digitized works were written by and about African American women who lived during the U.S. Civil War and include autobiographies, biographies, children’s books, novels, poetry, speeches and more. The authors and the works are listed below; click the section headers to access links to the online works. Some authors also have related resource links….

Tuskegee airmen at Ramitelli, Italy

Primary Source Spotlight: Tuskegee Airmen

Online exhibition items Tuskegee Airmen Breaking Flight Barriers Tuskegee Airmen with Lena Horne The 332nd Fighter Group Tuskegee Airmen image set Tuskegee Airmen in Art Exhibit The Detroit Tribune. (Detroit, Mich.), 01 Sept. 1945 Tuskegee pilots historical newspaper coverage 332nd Fighter Group historical newspaper coverage 332nd Fighter Group veteran oral history collections WWII Reunion: Tuskegee Airmen streaming webcast…

Primary Source Spotlight: Gordon Parks

Primary Source Spotlight: Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks was born on Nov. 30, 1912 and died on March 7, 2006. A highly influential photographer, he contributed to the Farm Security Administration, Life Magazine, and Vogue, and also wrote books and poetry, composed music, and directed movies. Gordon Parks photographs History & Heritage, Joy & Humanity select photographs by Gordon Parks Trumpet…

Primary Source Spotlight: Shirley Chisholm

Primary Source Spotlight: Shirley Chisholm

U.S. legislation Sponsored or Cosponsored by Representative Shirley Chisholm 1969-1983 U.S. legislation related to Representative Shirley Chisholm 1984 to present Shirley Chisholm image set Audio & video recordings related to Shirley Chisholm American Archive of Public Broadcasting Shirley Chisholm speech at Howard University April 21, 1969 American RadioWorks Aaron Dixon civil rights oral history transcript discussing Shirley…

Primary Source Spotlight: James Reese Europe

Primary Source Spotlight: James Reese Europe

James Reese Europe song recordings James Reese Europe sheet music Ragtime Dance: Castle Walk film Ragtime Dance: One Step Variation film James Reese Europe images Memoirs of Jim Europe James Reese Europe: timeline & select newspaper articles More James Reese Europe historic newspaper coverage Clef Club historical newspaper coverage 369th Infantry historic newspaper coverage Jazz Master James Reese…

Primary Source Learning: Black American History & Heritage

Primary Source Learning: Black American History & Heritage

Primary Source sets with teacher guides Guided primary source analysis activities Lesson plans Collection Connections: primary source activity ideas Timely Connections: ideas for linking past to present Teaching with the Library: Primary Sources & Ideas for Educators More teaching resources Primary Source Spotlight: Black American History & Heritage

Primary Source Spotlight: Gwendolyn Brooks

Primary Source Spotlight: Gwendolyn Brooks

Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) wrote more than 20 books of poetry and served as the Illinois Poet Laureate from 1968-2000 and Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1985-1986. Learn more about this amazing artist by investigating the resources below. Audio recordings Readings in Afro-American poetry: Gwendolyn Brooks, Michael S. Harper,…

Primary Source Spotlight: Race Riots/Protests

Primary Source Spotlight: Race Riots/Protests

Wilmington, North Carolina 1898 New York City 1900 Atlanta, Georgia 1906 Springfield, Illinois 1908 East St. Louis, Illinois 1917 Chicago 1919 U.S. 1919 Ocoee, Florida 1920 Tulsa, Oklahoma 1921 Rosewood, Florida 1923 Harlem, New York 1935 & 1943 & 1964 Mississippi 1962 Watts, Los Angeles 1965 Detroit, Michigan 1967 Washington D.C. 1968 Los Angeles -Rodney…

Primary Source Spotlight: NAACP

Primary Source Spotlight: NAACP

Curated set of primary sources and other resources related to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) The NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom primary source set, includes teacher’s guide NAACP image set Historical newspaper coverage National Negro Committee 1910 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People articles from the Broad Ax 1895-1922…