Here are just a few of our all time favorite picture books, middle grade novels, and memoirs that bring to life some of the greatest trials and triumphs in black history.
Presidents’ Day, a Federal holiday which is celebrated this year on February 21, was originally established in 1885 to honor the February 22 birthday of first president, George Washington. Over time it also became associated with the February 12 birthday of 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Thanks to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which created additional three day weekends for the country’s workers, the holiday will always fall on the third Monday of February but, ironically, never on the ac
February is Black History Month, an annual tribute to generations of African Americans whose invaluable contributions to this country were achieved in the face of tremendous adversity. Originally a week-long observance created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, the event was celebrated in February to acknowledge the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the celebration was expanded to a month by President Gerald R.
Nobel Peace Prize winner and visionary civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., died on April 4, 1968, but it took 32 years for a holiday honoring him to be recognized by all fifty states. Dr. King’s birthday was signed into law as a federal holiday in 1983 and took effect three years later on January 20, 1986. However, it was not until 2000 that all fifty states officially observed the holiday.