The Drexel University Libraries celebrates Black History Month in February by featuring resources and stories that honor the culture and contributions of African Americans and the African diaspora.
This resource guide includes information and resources about just a few of the people and some of the research and creative works that have inspired us – and we hope they will inspire you throughout the year!
This guide is a work in progress -- please check back for updates!
As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925.
In 1976, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first Black History Month. By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of Black history in the drama of the American story. Since then each American president has issued Black History Month proclamations. And the association—now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)—continues to promote the study of Black history all year.
These guides provide resources and information about DEI at the Libraries and beyond, as well as various monthly heritage celebrations. Click the below links to see the guides we've created so far. Contact us if you would like to contribute content or have any ideas for other months we should be observing!