Blog Posts by Subject: Black History Month

These titles feature the work of Black authors and illustrators and showcase Black characters, experiences, and history.

Explore these inspiring reads—by famous entertainers, a food writer, an activist, and more—held in the Library’s circulating and research collections. 

These stories of family love and delicious food will make you hungry while they warm your heart, and make you want to host a meal with your own nearest and dearest.

These reads offer an accessible window into the time and place that shaped these fascinating people.

These titles cover the civil rights movement, the Black church, jazz, early Black cinema and Broadway, and more to enhance our understanding of the past.

In honor of Black History Month, this guide highlights an array of items on view in the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures that help shed light on experiences lived and stories told by Black writers, artists, activists, and more.

After sharing this picture book with a young person in your life, consider one of these titles which detail the lives of notable Black people and celebrate the contributions of African Americans,

Enjoy these stories that reimagine African diaspora culture through the lens of science fiction, fantasy and technology.

The Harlem Renaissance was an impulse, an answer, an identity movement, and a transformational revelation. It created a serious body of literature and poetry, and produced remarkable music and works of art. Two of its luminaries, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, made significant contributions to literature and influenced generations of Black writers.

These titles will help you gain a better understanding of the necessity for HBCUs, what it's like to attend one, and how they've impacted our society and culture.

These books of poetry and stories told in verse speak to and celebrate Black children as well as tell some of the courageous and remarkable stories of their ancestors.

We've compiled this list of databases highlighting historical maps, oral histories, archived newspapers and magazines, peer-reviewed journals, and much more that are particularly useful for learning about Black history.

Take a walk around your city and you will be able to notice everything in our environment that required the expertise of an engineer. And the contributions Black engineers have made are many indeed.

Think about all the things you use throughout your day. Have you sent a funny GIF to a friend? What about making sure you're safe at an intersection because of the stoplight? These are just a couple of examples of contributions that Black innovators have made.

These books feature characters who are pursuing their passions and using technology, art, and science to change their world.

From picture books celebrating Black women's achievements, to titles for older readers exploring body image, Black hair, feminist politics, and more, this booklist recognizes the overlapping identities of being Black and a woman.

This booklist list recognizes the experiences, contributions, and impact of Black LGBTQ people as well as the need to see oneself represented and reflected in the stories and histories we read.

"Black&" is a series of online discussions led by dedicated NYPL Staff members centered around different aspects of Black identity.

This mini-booklist highlights children's books that empower kids to embrace science, technology, engineering, and math!