BOSTON, MA - January 30, 2025 - To honor Black History Month, the Boston Public Library (BPL) is releasing Black Is..., a booklist of recently published titles commemorating the achievements, complexities, struggles, and culture of the Black experience. Celebrated annually in February, Black History Month honors and explores the influence and legacy of Black Americans. The BPL will also observe Black History Month by hosting special events for all ages across branches and by highlighting notable items in the BPL collections.
The Black Is... booklist, featuring selected books written either by Black authors or about Black history and culture, is compiled by staff librarians from the Codman Square, Fields Corner, Grove Hall, Lower Mills, Mattapan, and South End branches, along with staff from the Central Library in Copley Square. The 75 titles comprising Black Is... highlight selections for adults, teenagers, and children by authors such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, Edwidge Danticat, Henry Louis Gates, Whoopi Goldberg, Darius Rucker, and RuPaul. Genres from this collection include fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, expressions, and poetry.
Each book on the list contains a synopsis and is accompanied by an image of the book cover as well as classification information. In addition to print books, select titles are available as eBooks or audiobooks.
Along with the booklist, the BPL will celebrate Black History Month with author talks and lectures, performing arts events, film screenings, book group discussions, arts and crafts workshops, and more. The full list of programs can be found at bpl.org/events. Highlights include:
- Boston Black History Wikidata Edit-a-thon | February 1, Hyde Park | Attend a Wikidata edit-a-thon focused on enriching Black history in this vital global database. Together, participants will add and connect information about influential people, movements, and works, ensuring their stories are part of the AI-powered future.
- The Art and Fashion of Headwrapping | February 1 and 25, Grove Hall and Mattapan | Learn about the history, art, and fashion of headwraps as Tafari Wraps leads this interactive presentation and workshop. From the artful manipulation of the wraps to the spiritual relevance in practices such as Rastafari, participants will engage in soulful conversation to build an everlasting connection with a sacred tradition.
- Film Screening: Spike Lee's "4 Little Girls" | February 5, Central | Attend a screening of Spike Lee’s documentary “4 Little Girls,” which recounts the tragic 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Church and its impact on the civil rights movement. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Barry Marshall, Senior Affiliated Faculty at Emerson College and a seasoned film curator and producer.
- Hidden History of Black Boston with Joel Mackall | February 10, Connolly | Learn Boston's 400-year African American history as Joel Mackall delves into the rich narratives of neighborhoods and pivotal sites, events, and figures from the eras of Faneuil Hall and Long Wharf, all the way to the vibrant Black communities that flourished in Beacon Hill in the early republic, and the South End and Roxbury in the early 20th century.
- African American Mariners in The Revolutionary War | February 12, Online | Staff from the National Park Service lead an exploration into the contributions of African American mariners during the Revolutionary War Era.
- African Storytelling Reimagined with Ada Ari | February 15, Codman Square and Central | Join author Ada Ari as she reads her picture book, The Spider's Thin Legs. Other activities include cultural dance, show-and-tell, and more.
- Afrobeats 101: Beginner Dance Workshop | February 15, Mattapan | Learn Afro-technique and African street styles of dance celebrating the spirit of Africa and the joy that comes from it, led by Afrobeats Dance Boston.
- Author Talk: Douglas Stark - Race and Resistance in Boston | February 15, Grove Hall | Join us for this local author talk about Boston sports and racial conflict. With the release of his 2025 book, Race and Resistance in Boston: A Contested Sports History, editor Douglas Stark will discuss the thought process behind this latest project.
- Emancipation in Massachusetts | February 26, Online | From Black Patriotism in the American Revolution to the fight for emancipation, this presentation, using early art pieces, reviews the colonial era individuals who impacted early rights for Boston’s Black citizens.
Additionally, BPL's Special Collections department welcomes patrons to a hands-on experience in the Special Collections reading room. The Special Collections Sampler for Black History Month will allow patrons to explore notable objects from the BPL's collections highlighting Black authors and artists' contributions to society.
Items highlighted and celebrated include a 1964 lithograph by Calvin Burnett titled Sojourner Truth, a print which memorializes activist Sojourner Truth, who worked for equal rights for Blacks and women; a collection of vintage gelatin silver prints of Jazz musicians photographed by Lou Jones; a 1953 gouache on board by Allan Rohan Crite titled Our Lady of the Bridge, one of Crite’s paintings depicting Biblical figures as African Americans in Boston neighborhood settings; and a 1999 plaster bust by Fern Cunningham of Harriet Tubman, which served as a study for the Harriet Tubman monument Step on Board, a seven-by-ten-foot bronze sculpture that stands along the Boston Women's Heritage Trail in the South End.
Patrons can delve deeper into the history of these objects at a Special Collections open house, to be held on February 25 from 2-4 p.m. in the Special Collections reading room at the Central Library in Copley Square. Special Collections staff will be available to answer questions as visitors explore these items up close. For those unable to attend the open house, the items will be available throughout the month of February for use in the Special Collections reading room, Wednesday - Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., with no appointment necessary. Other distinguished pieces from the BPL collection depicting Black history, culture, and achievements will be featured on the BPL's social media platforms during Black History Month.
Physical copies of the Black Is... booklist will be available at all BPL locations starting February 1, 2025; it can also be accessed digitally. In addition, the booklist and information about Black History Month programs will also appear on the BPL website at bpl.org and on the BPL social media accounts (X, Facebook, Instagram).
Patrons can view many years' worth of prior affinity booklists, such as those from Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Disability Pride Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Native American Heritage Month in an online archive.
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ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a children’s room.
The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business Library and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services.
The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All of its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
