Celebrate Black History Month at the Library
- Brianna Christie
- Jan 27
- 4 min read
We're celebrating Black History Month at the library! Join us for exciting programs, books displays, community partnerships, and more! This blog will highlight this month's events, books on display, books on the shelf, resources, and more.
If you have any questions regarding Black History Month, please reach out to Brianna Christie, at bchristie@cwmars.org.
We look forward to you joining us!
Events
Use the slider to scroll through the events.
Thursday, February 5th | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
We're turning the library into a Bingo hall! Play rounds of bingo to get a chance at winning prizes like library merch and items from Black Owned Business in Berkshire County! Refreshments provided.
Intergenerational West African & Caribbean Drum & Song Class
Saturday, February 14th | 12:15 - 1:15 p.m.
Join in an intergenerational, interactive and hands on drumming and singing experience rooted in folkloric West Africa and Caribbean music led by Aimée Gelinas and musicians from the Tamarack Hollow Nature and Cultural Center, Gaia Roots and the Berkshire Rhythm Keepers. Participants will play on traditional percussion instruments and learn songs in various languages and the cultural context of the music. Visit www.tamarackhollow.org & www.tamarackhollow.com
This project is supported by a grant from the Mary and Henry Flynt endowment fund of the Williamstown Community Chest and the Fund for Williamstown of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
Roots & Rhythms: African Dance and Music Adventures
Saturday, February 14th | 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Noel Staples-Freeman (Sister Noel) is a teaching artist & Cultural Ambassador of African Rooted Dance and Music, Founder of Uprising Dance Theatre & Berkshire African Dance & Drum Collective (BADD) Collective.
This engaging workshop invites children and families to explore the rich rhythms, movements, and songs of African and Caribbean traditions. Discover how rhythm, music, and storytelling work together to build community and express joy.
Each session encourages:
Active participation through music and movement
Listening and singing to build cultural connection
Creative African Rooted dance to express joy and unity
Awareness of African and Caribbean heritage through arts
Movies at the Milne: Cinderella (1997) ft. Whitney Houston
Saturday, February 21st | 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Cinderella (Brandy) chafes under the cruelty of her wicked stepmother (Bernadette Peters) and her evil stepsisters, Calliope (Veanne Cox) and Minerva (Natalie Desselle), until her Fairy Godmother (Whitney Houston) steps in to change her life for one unforgettable night. At the ball, she falls for handsome Prince Christopher (Paolo Montalban), whose parents, King Maximillian (Victor Garber) and Queen Constantina (Whoopi Goldberg), are anxious for him to find a suitable paramour.
Rated G; runtime 88 minutes. Popcorn will be available! As part of an effort to become more sustainability-focused, we encourage you to bring your own (reasonably sized!) bowl.
Wednesdays in February (except February 18th) | 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
We'll be reading lots of picture books for the pre-K age group; any age kids are welcome to join.
In honor of Black History Month, we will be featuring books by Black authors and focusing on joy, discovery, and innovation. Thematically-related craft kits will be available afterwards, which can be completed here or taken home with you.
Trivia Night: Black History Month
Thursday, February 26th | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Join us for another trivia night celebrating Black History Month! Gather your teams, chose your name, and play to win fun prizes like library merch, gift cards, and more! Refreshments provided.
Books & Resources
Black History Month Display Titles
Fiction
Come and Get It 
Such a Fun Age 
My Sister the Serial Killer 
Red at the Bone 
Freshwater 
It's Not All Downhill from Here 
Girl, Woman, Other 
Behold the Dreamers 
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted 
Lone Women 
Maame 
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
Non-Fiction
The Book of Delights 
Inciting Joy 
This is the Honey 
The Book of (More) Delights 
Becoming 
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude 
How to Say Babylon 
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Romance & Movies
Party of Two 
The Wedding Date 
Sinners
YA Books
Non-Fiction
Black History for Every Day of the Year 
The Unboxing of a Black Girl 
Black History is Your History
Contemporary & Novel-in-Verse
(S)kin 
A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe 
Truth Is 
The Leaving Room 
Everyone's Thinking It 
This Thing of Ours
Relationship
Pretty Girl County 
24 Second from Now
Fantasy, Suspense, & Historical Fiction
The Queen's Spade 
A Mastery of Monsters 
The Poisons We Drink 
Tangleroot 
Bones at the Crossroads 
The Corruption of Hollis Brown 
Up in Smoke 
Needy Little Things
Other Blog Posts
Black History Month programs are led by the David and Joyce Milne's (Social) Justice, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (J-IDEA) committee. The committee commits itself to social justice, inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (J-IDEA). We recognize the systemic oppression and cultural barriers that are present in library institutions and work to remove the obstacles that hinder our patrons from using our materials, feeling safe, and trusting us as a municipal entity.
Our library is no longer an institution with the sole purpose of providing books and media. Beyond diversifying our collections, we choose to expand our resources by implementing programs and initiatives that advocate for justice, inclusion, diversity, equity, and access. Utilizing the internal and external initiatives outlined in our J-IDEA logic model, we commit ourselves to creating a library with a culture of belonging and strive to become a catalyst of social justice within our community.
As a civic anchor committed to access for all, we uphold the rights of our patrons to acquire information and resources equally. We acknowledge the larger efforts to dismantle the work that has been done to combat systems of subjugation and injustice. With this, we recognize the need to consistently re-evaluate our collection, programming, and procedures to ensure that our library reflects the diversity and cultural values of our community.
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