February 24, 2020 | strande
Katherine Johnson was a talented mathematician in a field dominated by white men.
After graduating high school at the age of 15 in the midst of the Great Depression, she earned a full scholarship to West Virginia State Institute's math department. Johnson briefly taught high school and then in 1940 was one of the first Black graduate students chosen to integrate West Virginia University.
In 1953 she began work as a research mathematician for what would become NASA. Katherine Johnson shattered barriers for all women, but particularly for Black women, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
To celebrate the inspirational life of Katherine Johnson, check out the resources below or explore NASA's website. Learn about her and other amazing barrier-breaking mathematicians and scientists.
February 11, 2019 | agudenburr
Looking for books to read with your child for Black History Month? Here are just a few of our books we have about African American history and African American biographies.
February 22, 2018 | strande
If you enjoyed reading about Melody Ellison, the American Girl character who lives in Detroit in the 1960s, you might be interested in these titles.
To gain leadership skills needed to run a cupcake-baking empire when she grows up, Brianna runs for president of the fifth grade--expecting little competition--until a new girl enters the race.
February 20, 2018 | Patton
Everybody is talking about Black Panther: the actors, the director, the characters, the rivalries, the music, the clothing, the politics. Take a look at some of the library materials featuring the filmmaker and cast, artists on the soundtrack, and the writers of the comic series, as well as other graphic novels and books about African and African-American history, heroes, and icons.
MacArthur Genius and National Book Award-winner T- Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me) takes the helm, confronting T'Challa with a dramatic upheaval in Wakanda. When a superhuman terrorist group that calls itself The People sparks a violent uprising, the land famed for its incredible technology and proud warrior traditions will be thrown into turmoil. If Wakanda is to survive, it must adapt - but can its monarch survive the necessary change? Collecting: Black Panther 1-4
Acclaimed alternative R&B artist SZA releases a brand new album. The first single, Love Galore, features Travis Scott. The album also includes the track Drew Barrymore and appearances from Kendrick Lamar and RZA..
February 22, 2016 | SuzyQ
A compelling combination of storytelling and science, this series uses genealogy, oral histories, family stories and DNA to trace roots of several accomplished African Americans down through American history and back to Africa.
Explore with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed - forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds.
Explores the life and career of tennis player Althea Gibson, who overcame obstacles in the highly segregated tennis world of the 1950s.
Death of a king: the real story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final year by Tavis Smiley with David Ritz
Children of fire: a history of African Americans by Thomas C. Holt
Say it loud: great speeches on civil rights and African American identity by edited by Catherine Ellis and Stephen Drury Smith
Stokely: a life by Peniel E. Joseph
Across that bridge: life lessons and a vision for change by John Lewis ; with Brenda Jones
