Chicago Public Library - West Loop Branch issued the following announcement on Jan. 29.
Join Chicago Public Library in celebrating African American History Month in February. This year, the national theme for Black History Month is The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity. We're exploring this theme through the topic of Black hair. Learn more with online events, recommended reads and more.
We're also launching two new digital collections documenting early black history in Chicago. The George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives and Illinois Writers Project: "Negro in Illinois" Collection trace the migration and growth of Chicago's African American community, including the Chicago Black Renaissance (1930s-1950). Available online for the first time, these collections are housed at the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at Woodson Regional Library.
Events
See all our African American History Month events. Highlights include:
Live from the Library: Recorded Events
- Live From The Library: Karyn Parsons: Parsons reads her book Flying Free about Bessie Coleman, the first black female aviator, followed by a message from Coleman's great-niece.
- Live From The Library: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot: Mayor Lightfoot reads Your Hair Is Your Crown! by Tamekia Swint.
- Live from the Library: Taye Diggs: Diggs reads his book, Chocolate Me.
- Live from the Library: Natasha Tarpley: Tarpley reads her book, I Love My Hair! Tarpley also joins our Representation Matters: Black Hair in Books for Kids and Teens panel Thursday, February 25.
- Panel Discussion with the Women of Head to Head: Beauty, Identity and Hair Loss
6 p.m. Monday, February 1
- Hair Tutorial with Robin D. Groover
12 p.m. Tuesday, February 2
Learn about Groover's ceramic fusion silk process styling technique.
- Author Talk: Your Hair Is Your Crown!
- 3 p.m. Wednesday, February 3
- Panel Discussion: Artists Exploring Black Hair
12 p.m. Friday, February 5
- Styles 4 Kidz: Hair Care for Families
12 p.m. Tuesday, February 9
Learn about hair care and protective hair styles: bantu knots and twists.
- On the Topic of Hair with Rutgers University Professor Tiffany M. Gill
6 p.m. Monday, February 22
Film Screening: Head to Head
Stream the documentary Head to Head for a limited time thanks to Amelia Street Studio. The film is a raw and honest look at the lives of women facing the trauma of hair loss. This event provides you access to watch the film on Vimeo.
Coloring Page
Print our African American History Month coloring sheet.
Reading Recommendations
We recommend these books exploring African American heritage, history and care of Black hair:
- African American History Month for Kids
- Celebrating Black Hair: Books for Teens
- Celebrating Black Hair: Books for Adults
- 25 Recent Books on African American History for Adults
Original source can be found here.
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