This Saturday marks the beginning of Black History Month and we are looking forward to kicking things off with a day full of events at Fairfield Library. Listen to Justin Golden perform the Piedmont Blues, test your knowledge of Henrico Black History by playing Bingo with Henrico Recreation and Parks, History Division, and enjoy a music and spoken word concert of African and African American folktales from Richmond's Elegba Society. Read on to learn more about upcoming Black History Month events including book discussions, film screenings, lectures, performances, and more, as well as titles from our collection that center around Black history.
PROGRAMS
- The Piedmont Blues with Justin Golden
- Saturday, February 1, 11AM – 12PM at Fairfield
- Musician Justin Golden performs and discusses the characteristics of Piedmont Blues style guitar.
- History Bingo: Henrico Black History Month Edition
- Saturday, February 1, 12 – 2PM at Fairfield
- Learn more about Black Henrico History in this game of BINGO. Come for the fun and prizes, and leave with knowledge of how Black Henricoans contributed to our past, shape our present, and will impact our future. Program held in partnership with Henrico County Recreation and Parks, History Division.
- Elegba Folklore Society Presents: The Talking Drum
- Saturday, February 1, 2 – 3PM at Fairfield
- The Elegba Folklore Society will deliver a music and spoken word concert of African and African American folktales and narratives engaging participants in a rhythmic journey over continents and through time.
- Bright Star Theatre Presents: From Anansi to John Henry
- Monday, February 3, 10:30 – 11:30AM at Glen Allen
- Best for ages 3+. A celebration of folktales, tall tales, and oral traditions from Black History for our youngest library friends. Taking the role of the trickster, Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African, African American, and West Indian Folklore. Tales featured in the show come to us from the celebrated Gullah Tales and oral traditions that have created a beautiful fabric of memorable characters and valuable lessons.
- Bright Star Theatre Presents: Empowered, Brilliant & Brave: Great Women of Black History
- Monday, February 3, 4 – 5PM at North Park
- Best for grades 3-8. Meet some of Black History's most inspiring women. Crunch figures with Dorothy Vaughan, follow the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman, and celebrate jazz with Ella Fitzgerald. Also meet groundbreakers Michelle Obama, Sojourner Truth, Serena Williams, and more.
- Soul of a Community: African Americans in Richmond
- Tuesday, February 4, 7 – 8PM at Tuckahoe
- Explore how Black Richmonders have redefined the River City and inspired a region and nation. This Valentine Museum presentation will focus on local connections to Black History Month.
- From Invisibility to Political Activism: the Black Experience in American Art
- Tuesday, February 4, 7 – 9PM at Twin Hickory
- Historically, and in our own time, African American artists have foregrounded in their work the social, political, and cultural successes of Black Americans and have offered vociferous critiques of violations of their civil rights and of systemic racism. This lecture by Evie Terrono will analyze works by African American artists in the collection of the VMFA, among others, as the means of resistance and political activism aiming to dismantle racial prejudice and celebrate multilayered African American identities. This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is supported, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund.
- In the Driver’s Seat: How One Family Transported Black Students in 1930s Hanover
- Thursday, February 6, 7 – 8PM at Libbie Mill
- In the early 1930s, Hanover County did not fund school transportation for Black students; as a result, Black children in Hanover were expected to walk up to five miles away to attend school. Tired of this inequity, local farmer Lucian Hunter purchased a school bus for $50 and enlisted his three sons as bus drivers, helping Black students across Hanover County more easily gain education access. Celebrate Black History Month by joining us for a talk with Patricia Hunter-Jordan, Lucian's granddaughter and President of the Hanover NAACP, as she discusses her family's legacy.
- Black Music Greats Dance Party
- Saturday, February 15 ,11 – 11:45AM at North Park
- Ages 2-8 with an adult. Join us for lights, music, and dance. Wear your favorite dance outfit, and we'll move and groove together. We will have books related to musicians and Black History available for checkout.
- Author Talk: Andrew Kahrl’s The Black Tax
- Thursday, February 20, 6:30 – 7:30PM at Libbie Mill
- Historian Andrew Kahrl will break down the research informing his book The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America, which examines how, from Reconstruction through the present day, structural features of the country's tax system have stripped African American landowners of assets and diverted wealth from Black households. Books will be available for purchase and signing. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
- Teen Art Studio: Resilience is Black Art
- Saturday, February 22, 2 – 4PM at Varina
- For this edition of Teen Art Studio, we will explore Black brilliance, artistic innovation, and creativity to commemorate Black History Month. Engage in some fun, hands-on cultural activities! All artistic skill levels are welcome, and materials will be provided. Books will be available for checkout to continue learning at home.
- Historically Speaking: Forgotten Patriots, Virginia’s Black Revolutionary Soldiers
- Thursday, February 27, 7 – 8PM at Libbie Mill
- Historian John Pagano of Henricus Historical Park focuses on the role played by Black Virginians who camped, marched, and fought side by side with their neighbors in pursuit of liberty and independence from English rule. This program is held in partnership with Henrico County Recreation & Parks, History Division. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
- Black Film Festival at Twin Hickory
- Feb. 5, 6:30 – 8:30PM: A Ballerina’s Tale (2015, NR, 88 min.)
- Feb. 11, 10 – 1PM: Amazing Grace (2019, G, 87 min.)
- Feb. 13, 6:30 – 8:30PM: ‘Round Midnight (1986, R, 131 min.)
- Feb. 18, 10AM – 1PM: I Am Ali (2014, PG, 107 min.)
- Feb. 26, 6:30 – 8:30PM: The League (2023, PG, 104 min)
BOOK DISCUSSIONS
- Libbie Mill LGBTQIA+ Book Discussion
- Feb. 4, 7PM at Libbie Mill
- Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
- Gayton Evening Book Discussion
- Feb. 10, 7PM at Gayton
- The First Ladies by Marie Benedict
- Glen Allen Book Discussion
- Feb. 11, 7PM at Glen Allen
- Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
- Tuckahoe Afternoon & Evening Book Discussions
- Feb. 13, 1 & 7PM at Tuckahoe
- Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
- Fairfield Black Authors Book Discussion
- Feb. 18, 7PM at Fairfield
- How Long ‘til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin
- Libbie Mill Afternoon & Evening Book Discussions
- Feb. 19, 1 & 7PM at Libbie Mill
- Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo
- North Park Evening Book Discussion
- Feb. 24, 7PM at North Park
- Heavy by Kiese Laymon
COLLECTION
EASY
- A Library by Nikki Giovanni (also available on Hoopla)
- Black-Eyed Peas and Hoghead Cheese: A Story of Food, Family and Freedom by Glenda Armand
- Forever and Always by Brittany J. Thurman
- I’m From by Gary R. Gray Jr. (also available on Hoopla)
- My Name is a Story by Ashanti (also available on Hoopla)
- My Hair is Magic by M.L. Marroquin
- Nothing Special by Desiree Cooper
- Your Life Matters by Chris Singleton
- We Are Here by Tami Charles (also available on Hoopla)
- When Black Girls Dream Big and I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams by Tanisia Moore (also available on Hoopla)
KIDS
- The Braid Girls by Sherri Winston (also available on Hoopla)
- Chef Edna: Queen of Southern Cooking by Melvina Noel (also available on Hoopla)
- Invincible: Fathers and Mothers of Black America by Wade Hudson
- The Legendary Alston Boys series by Lamar Giles (also available on Hoopla)
- Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou
- Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing
- Not An Easy Win by Crystal D. Giles
- Root Magic by Eden Royce (also available on Hoopla)
- Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies by Mireille Harper
- The Vanquishers series by Kalynn Bayron
- Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr.
TEENS
- The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories by Desiree S. Evans
- Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
- Kin: Rooted in Hope by Carole Boston Weatherford
- Nerdcrush by Alisha Emrich
- Okoye to the People by Ibi Aanu Zoboi (also available on Hoopla)
- The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
- Poemhood, Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology by Kwame Alexander (also available on Hoopla)
- This Poison Heart series by Kalynn Bayron
- Those Who Saw the Sun by Jaha N. Avery (also available on Hoopla)
- Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith (also available on Hoopla)
ADULTS
- Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
- American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
- Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
- Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston (also available on Hoopla)
- Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen
- I Too Sing America: The Harlem Renaissance at 100 by Wil Haygood
- James by Percival Everett
- The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary by Toshio Meronek
- Queenie: Godmother of Harlem by Elizabeth Colomba (also available on Hoopla)
- Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by Joel Christian Gill (also available on Hoopla)
- This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets by Kwame Alexander