Boston Public Library Celebrates Black History Month with Annual “Black Is…” Booklist & Special Events
From the Boston Public Library:
The Boston Public Library is proud to contribute to the celebration of Black History Month with its annual “Black Is…” booklist. The booklist aims to commemorate the achievements, complexities, struggles, and culture of the Black experience. The BPL will also host a variety of events for all ages across the library system to honor and explore the influence and legacy of Black Americans.
The “Black Is…” booklist is compiled by Boston Public Library staff from the Central Library in Copley Square, East Boston Branch, Fields Corner Branch, and Lower Mills Branch, and features selected books written either by Black authors or about Black history and culture. “Black Is…” includes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for adults, teenagers, and children by authors such as Colin Kaepernick, Viola Davis, Alice Walker, Terry Crews, and more. For each of the 75 listed books, the list contains a synopsis and is accompanied by the book cover artwork as well as classification information. In addition to print books, select titles are available as eBooks and audiobooks.
[Clip]
Printed copies of “Black Is…” will be available at all open BPL locations on February 1. The booklist, and information about other programs also appear on the BPL website.
The Boston Public Library also produces curated booklists and holds educational and celebratory events for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 – October 15, and Native American Heritage Month in November. BPL also maintains an online archive of prior affinity booklists.
Learn More, Read the Complete Post and Learn About Upcoming BPL Events
Direct to “Black Is…” booklist.
Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.