Here at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, we are very excited to Share the History this month! In branches all over the city, there are programs for adults, teens, children and families to celebrate Black History Month.
At the Main library, the special events include a lecture and discussion on Pittsburgh’s Underground Railroad, presented by Soldiers and Sailors Museum historian John L. Ford, and a workshop on The History of African American Beauty and Culture in Pittsburgh, featuring Celeta Hickman, oral historian for the Teenie Harris collection at the Carnegie Museum of Art. These two programs are in addition to the regularly-scheduled Sunday Afternoon Music, World Kaleidoscope!, and Books in the Afternoon book discussions, which this month will feature hip hop artists Lucid Music, Shona Sharif African Drum & Dance Ensemble, and The Time of Our Singing, by Richard Powers, respectively.
At our Downtown & Business location, several lunchtime programs include film screenings of documentaries on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Zora Neale Hurston, as well as a classic film starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Portier; a book discussion of Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama; and a live presentation entitled The Souls of Black Baseball: Barnstorming the Keystone State, which examines the rich history of black baseball in Pennsylvania.
In other locations, we have a discussion of African American music at the Carrick library, an opportunity to share your favorite memory at the Hill District branch, a film screening and discussion at the Squirrel Hill branch, and An Evening with Beverly Jenkins, the popular historical romance author, at the Homewood library. (This one is presented by Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures, and is the only event that is not free; tickets are just $10.)
Now if that’s not enough for you to do, there’s more! We have partnered with the August Wilson Center for African American Culture to present Family Read-Alouds at East Liberty, Homewood, and the Hill District. Other read-aloud events, a teen book discussion of The Liberation of Gabriel King, and craft programs round out the activities for young people.
So if you were wondering how you were going to make it through the dark, winter month of February, look no further than the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where you can join your community in sharing history at the library.
-Kaarin
Eleventh Stack 