Blog > Black History Month Virtual Tours

Posted February 2, 2021

The idea of a celebration of African American achievement was conceived and brought to life by Carter G. Woodson and some of his associates in 1926 with Negro History and Literature Week. Woodson was a Harvard trained historian that believed that people created history, and not just “great men”.  His vision was the study of the black race and their contributions to our society and culture.

Over time, the Black middle class grew and white progressives endorsements helped to drive demand for this information. Woodson and associates created an annual theme for the week as well as study materials for schools, and the popular Negro History Clubs. In 1976, fifty years after the first celebration, the Association used its influence to institutionalize the shifts from a week to a month and from Negro history to black history. Since the mid-1970s, every American president, Democrat and Republican, has issued proclamations endorsing the Association’s annual theme.

Because of the pandemic, the library cannot open its doors to our patrons, and we cannot celebrate together in person; however we have put together a number of virtual tours that you can use at home to celebrate with friends and family. 

Here is the list:

• Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture 
• The Peabody Essex Museum: The Jacob Lawrence Virtual Exhibit (The  American Struggle Panels)
• History of Colorado: Denver: African American History in Colorado
• The Library of Congress: Rosa Parks in Her Own Words Exhibit
• The National Gallery: Portraits of African Americans
• The Schomberg Center at the New York Public Library
• The National Women’s History Museum: Standing Up for Change: African American Women and the Civil Rights Movement
• Google Arts & Culture: Black History Month
• The Museum of the African Diaspora