City of Glendale - News

Celebrating African American History

Learn the story behind this important month of recognition and find out information on the Annual Celebration of African American Authors

In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson instituted the first weeklong celebration to raise awareness of African Americans’ contributions to history. Prior to this time, little information could be found. Important achievements were left out of history books, and there was a general misconception that African Americans had made little contribution to American society or history. Fifty years later, the week became a month, and today, February is celebrated as African American History Month.

Why February Was Chosen

The month of February was chosen because it celebrates the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both men who dramatically affected the lives of African Americans. Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) was a writer, lecturer, editor and civil rights activist who escaped slavery at age 21 and went on to campaign for the abolition of slavery, establish a newspaper and hold the office of Minister to Haiti. He was a major voice in the anti-slavery/civil rights movement of his time. Abraham Lincoln, as the 16th president of the United States, issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, thereby declaring that all slaves within the Confederacy would be permanently free.

Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, founded by Dr. Woodson, sets the theme for the month. The 2006 theme is Celebrating Community: A Tribute to Black Fraternal, Social and Civic Institutions.

Celebrate Diversity and Culture with the Annual Celebration of African American Authors. Here is a list of upcoming events.

The 17th National Read-In will take place from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12 in the Roadrunner Room of the Foothills Branch Library, 19055 N. 57th Ave. More than a million readers of all ethnic groups from across the country and around the world will be celebrating African American literature. Bring a brief excerpt of fiction, non-fiction and/or poetry by favorite African American writers to share during the public forum. The Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English is sponsoring the Read-In. For more information, call (623) 930-3843.

• The African American Multicultural Museum, 617 N. Scottsdale Rd., will be the site for a Community Book Discussion from noon-1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Gloria Naylor’s The Women of Brewster Place will be the subject of discussion. This critically acclaimed work records the fortitude of community through the stories of seven women living in a segregated, decaying urban neighborhood. For more information, call (480) 312-7557.

• Getting Mother’s Body by Suzan Lori-Parks is the pick of the Kitabu Book Discussion Group at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The group meets in the large meeting room of Glendale Main Library, 5959 W. Brown St. In the debut novel of the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist, Lori-Parks tells the story of poor, pregnant and unmarried 16-year-old Billy Beede, who ventures from Lincoln, Texas to LaJunta, Ariz. to unearth the remains of her mother, Willa Mae. Billy’s mother had been a wild blues singer who was allegedly buried with a small fortune in diamonds and pearls. For more information, call (623) 930-3565.

• Authors Janice Higgins and Dr. Matthew C. Whitaker will be speaking in the auditorium of Scottsdale’s Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26. A Phoenix native, Higgins is a community activist and founder of P.R.O.J.E.C.T. Rage, a non-profit organization concerned with helping young people deal with anger and guilt through positive and empowering experiences. She is also the author of a book series, There Were No Parents Here. These stories chronicle the events of her life that lead her to incarceration at the Chowcilla Prison, the largest women’s detention center in California, and to her eventual redemption. She has traveled extensively sharing her story and her message of encouragement to young people and parents.
  
  Dr. Whitaker is Assistant Professor of United States History, African and American Studies, and Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University. He is the author of Race Work: The Rise of Civil Rights in the Urban West, published in 2005, and the upcoming release Facing the Rising Sun: A History of African Americans in Arizona. Dr. Whitaker’s commentaries on popular culture, race, class, gender, presidential politics and U.S. African relations, have appeared on NPR, PBS and other media outlets. He is also the CEO of the Whitaker Group, L.L.C., a diversity-consulting firm.

              For more information about this program, call (480) 312-7557.

• Wrapping up this year’s Celebration of African American Authors will be the film presentation of The Women of Brewster Place at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., at noon on Wednesday, Mar. 1. The movie, based on the book of the same name by Gloria Naylor, is about seven women living in a segregated, decaying urban neighborhood. It stars Cicely Tyson, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Givens, Moses Gunn, Mary Alice, Olivia Cole and Jackée Harry. For more information about the screening, call (480) 312-7557.