Curated by Librarian Allyson Mower, Assistant Dean Rodney T. Cohen, Center for Community and Cultural Engagement staff Kirsten Wang and Mina France Adua

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of the celebration of Black History Month in America. Started by renowned teacher and sociologist Carter G. Woodson as Negro History Week in 1926, it became a federally recognized month in 1976 to honor African Americans’ contributions to history.

The Mis-Education of the Negro
By Carter G. Woodson

In this new release of Carter Woodson’s Penguin Classic, readers get an updated introduction by Woodson scholar Jarvis Givens and editor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The main take-away includes Woodson’s convincing argument, which is still relevant today, for the inclusion of African American thinkers, artists, culture and ideals within the American educational system.

The Disordered Cosmos
By Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

An excellent book that deftly explains small particle physics while also illuminating a much fuller history of science, conveying how racism and sexism influence the level at which big ideas can be explored and debated.

The Other Madisons
By Bettye Kearse

Part history, part memoir, this book tells the story of Dr. Kearse’s ancestry – both European American and African American – and President James Madison’s progeny in a gripping elucidation of national secrets.

The Fire Next Time
By James Baldwin

Published during the height of the Civil Rights movement (1963), Baldwin’s, The Fire Next Time, is an amalgamation of two unique essays which explore issues of self-identity, belonging and survival in a system of segregation in America. The reader will intensely feel the personal voice of the author and his analysis of race and the race problem in America, exactly 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation.

Black Skin, White Masks
By Frantz Fanon

As a philosopher and psychiatrist, Fanon in his book Black Skin, White Masks (1952), looks at the traumatic impact of historical colonialism on the psyche of the black mind. He explores how the institution of racism and systemic colonialism created a pernicious psychopathology in the colonized, his work in many regards builds on the DuBoisian philosophy of “double consciousness.”

Birthright Citizens
By Martha S. Jones

Birthright Citizens tells the story of the fight for belonging in antebellum America. Martha Jones shows how birthright citizenship was contested in the American legal system, and also how it was fought for through deep understandings of the same system being used to resist it. To me, the book really exists in two worlds, the historical and the contemporary.  It has an important place in the continuing debates surrounding belonging in America as well as representing a foundational text in the study of Black history.

The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama

The Audacity of Hope offers a thoughtful exploration of American identity, democracy, and the pursuit of a more community focused future.   The writer’s reflections on heritage, belonging, and civic responsibility resonate with the ongoing story of resilience and aspiration in the United States. The book underscores how hope has continually shaped the horizon for progress, aligning well with this year’s Black History Month’s themes of reflection and forward momentum.

Unmanned Drone (Sculpture)
By Kara Walker

I recently visited The Brick in Los Angeles, California and was able to view Kara Walker’s new installation Unmanned Drone. The work inventively reimagines the Confederate statue of Stonewall Jackson with a compelling deconstruction and impactful commentary. Highly recommend! And be sure to check out Kara Walker’s books available at the library

Chronicles of Change
By Raquel Ordaz (University of Utah Student)

Check out this recently published archival history project conducted by Raquel Ordaz. Showcasing meaningful stories about Black faculty, students, and community members and how they advocated for a more welcoming campus.

Curly Jones: Utah’s First Black Librarian
By Bri Clegg (University of Utah Student)

Enjoy this new wonderful exhibit by Black Faculty & Staff Association intern Bri Clegg about librarian Curly Jones.