Black History Month (February)

Tweets with the hashtag #1619Project. The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

The Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center launched this hashtag for a collaborative project between the Anacostia Community Museum Archives and the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

In Episode 15 of Delgado Podcast, Mike Delgado speaks with Prof. Lisa M. Bowens, PhD about her recent book, African American Readings of Paul: Reception, Resistance & Transformation. Listen to the podcast or watch the video of their conversation, posted November 24, 2020.

Makiba Foster leads Archiving the Black Web, a project that brings together Black collecting institutions, from public libraries to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to map out the future of digitally curating the Black experience. Includes video recordings from the 2021 Archiving the Black Web conference #ATBW2021.

African Americans are a vital part of the tapestry of The United Methodist Church and have played important roles in the development of the denomination in the United States. (quoted from website)

The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song is a moving four-hour, two-part series from executive producer, host and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, that traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, all the way down to its bedrock role as the site of African American survival and grace, organizing and resilience, thriving and testifying, autonomy and freedom, solidarity and speaking truth to power. A production of McGee Media, Inkwell Media and WETA Washington, D.C, in association with Get Lifted.

"Black Perspectives is the leading online platform for public scholarship on global black thought, history, and culture."

Throughout February, the Museum is celebrating Black History Month with a host of new programs, initiatives and experiences.

The Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership at Union Presbyterian Seminary recognizes the significance of centering Black women’s scholarship as viable sources and resources for theological education. The center serves as a site of participatory learning for scholars, students, clergy, laity, and community leaders.

History of Presbyterian and ecumenical involvement in civil rights movements, protests, and social justice issues, as well as individual social reformers and activists.

Established in 2021, "[the Crossroads Project] emphasizes the diverse landscape of Black religions, reflecting the voices and leadership of those not featured in traditional accounts."

July 6, 2022 - Dr. Gregory Nobles in conversation with Rev. Dr. David Latimore

How did enslaved African and African American women experience slavery? What were their daily lives like? And how do historians know as much as they do about enslaved women? Explore the answers to these questions with Jennifer L. Morgan, a Professor of History and Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University

Premiered Feb. 28, 2021 - Writer and producer Emil Wilbekin curates a conversation between noted Black gay and queer authors who have been inspired by life and works of James Baldwin. Panelists: George M. Johnson, author, "All Boys Aren’t Blue," a memoir manifesto discussing their young adult experience growing up Black and Queer; Robert Jones, Jr., author, "The Prophets" and creator of the social-justice social media community Son of Baldwin; Darnell L. Moore, author of the 2019 Lambda Literary Award-winning memoir, No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black & Free in America

"In 1893, the first predecessor to NBPC was organized. It was called the Afro Presbyterian Council and was organized by the Reverends Francis Grimke, R.H. Armstrong, Matthew Anderson and John B. Reeve. It advocated for political, religious, and social interest...."

October 8, 2019 - Dr. Walter Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Ethical Leadership at Boston University
Dr. Mozella Mitchell, professor emerita and former chair of religious studies at the University of South Florida

1773; digitized and presented in the Theological Commons

Subject = African Americans

by Maira Liriano, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, July 12, 2016.

"Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words showcases rarely seen materials that offer an intimate view of Rosa Parks and documents her life and activism—creating a rich opportunity for viewers to discover new dimensions to their understanding of this seminal figure. The materials are drawn extensively from the Rosa Parks Collection, a gift to the Library of Congress from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation."

The papers of Rosa Parks (1913-2005) span the years 1866-2006, with the bulk of the material dating from 1955 to 2000. The collection contains approximately 7,500 items in the Manuscript Division, as well as 2,500 photographs in the Prints and Photographs Division. The collection documents many aspects of Parks's private life and public activism on behalf of civil rights for African Americans.

A featured collection in the Theological Commons, The Payne Theological Seminary and A.M.E. Church Archive includes two subcollections organized into twenty-one thematic categories of images and textual materials for the study of the history of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) denomination and Black Church tradition while chronicling the leadership and legacy of Payne Theological Seminary. Some materials are cross-referenced in multiple subcollections.

James W.C. Pennington (1807-1870) emphasized the need to educate and help find employment for the increasing numbers of free African Americans. He also spoke out against racism in the north, including in the white churches that often segregated white and black worshipers and shut out black clergymen. Pennington also helped many fugitive slaves and supported efforts to desegregate public transportation in New York City. Pennington did tours in the United Kingdom to speak out against slavery and to garner British support for American abolitionist efforts. BKBB is a growing partnership between the Presbyterian Historical Society and Community College of Philadelphia.

Absalom Jones, James Pennington, and Henry Highland Garnet were highly respected Protestant ministers who condemned chattel slavery both from the pulpit and through their work as church leaders, teachers, community organizers, and activists. BKBB is a growing partnership between the Presbyterian Historical Society and Community College of Philadelphia.

by Neely Tucker for the Library of Congress Blog, June 19, 2020

FEBRUARY 13, 2016 Brandon Byrd's bibliography. The "books all pertain to the origins, evolution, professionalization, and expansion of the field of black history. The authors of these books examine the concerns of early black historians, find an enduring tradition of black race histories, and address the key role that black women have played in the writing of black history. They also recover the process by which Woodson and others helped define the modern field of black history and they make a case for the significance of writings about black history today."

"a list of readings that educators can use to broach conversations in the classroom about the horrendous events that unfolded in Charleston, South Carolina on the evening of June 17, 2015. These readings provide valuable information about the history of racial violence in this country and contextualize the history of race relations in South Carolina and the United States in general. They also offer insights on race, racial identities, global white supremacy and black resistance. All readings are arranged by date of publication. This list is not meant to be exhaustive–you will find omissions. Please check out #Charlestonsyllabus and the Goodreads List for additional reading suggestions."

Blog post from the Wabash Center's Race Matters in the Classroom blog. June 23, 2015

June 24, 2015 - The New Yorker magazine's Joshua Rothman profiles Princeton Theological Seminary alumna Pastor Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Class of 1985), and the hymn she wrote in response to the killing of 9 African American worshipers gathered for Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015.

October 5, 2019 lecture by Rev. Dr. Brian K. Blount, Princeton Seminary alumnus, and President and Professor of New Testament in the Walter W. Moore and Charles E.S. Kraemer Presidential Chairs of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia
Video recording and transcript posted January 15, 2020 by The Presbyterian Outlook

Attempts to gain voting rights for African Americans began long before the Civil War and the passage of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution in 1870. Free black people were able to vote in a few northern states including Pennsylvania until 1838, and some exercised that right, though they were often met with hostility at the polls. BKBB is a growing partnership between the Presbyterian Historical Society and Community College of Philadelphia.

The Freedmen’s Bureau Project — a new initiative spearheaded by the Smithsonian, the National Archives, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — will make available online 1.5 million historical documents, finally allowing descendants of former African-American slaves to learn more about their family roots.

Protestant Council of the City of New York panel discussion with James Baldwin, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Dr. Thomas C. Kilgore, Jr. From the Pearl Digital Collection at the Presbyterian Historical Society: https://digital.history.pcusa.org/

Princeton Theological Seminary Professor Lisa Bowens participates in service marking 7th anniversary of deaths at SC church bible study

This report begins to trace the complicated story of Princeton Seminary and its relationship to slavery.

FEBRUARY 17, 2016 - Keisha N. Blain's list of readings. "Representing a variety of academic fields—including History, English, and Political Science—these works highlight the writings, speeches, performances, activism, and overseas travel of a diverse group of black women activists and intellectuals, thereby moving women from the margins to the center of historical narratives on black internationalism."

Includes an in-depth journey through the history of slavery and freedom, based on the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's permanent exhibition

ePub, Kindle, plain text

This portal "provides digital tools, online exercises, video instructions, scholarly articles and more than 100 multi-media resources tailored for educators, parents and caregivers—and individuals committed to racial equality."

"Revealing moments in black history, with unpublished photos from The New York Times’s archives. We’ll add images daily in February." - NY Times

At Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries

Features primary sources from the Presbyterian Historical Society collection along with secondary sources. In addition, contains contextual information on the topic, full citations, information about the author, and reading questions. BKBB is a growing partnership between the Presbyterian Historical Society and Community College of Philadelphia.