In honor of African American History Month in February, Chicago Public Library (CPL) will feature a variety of virtual programming for kids, teens, adults, and families surrounding the history, advocacy, and achievements of African Americans. This year, CPL’s programs will focus on issues of Black mental health and physical wellness.
The CPL African American Heritage Committee is committed to amplifying voices, promoting stories, and providing historical education for the African American community. They strive to support, educate and uplift African American heritage through library programs and diverse resources. For a full list of programs, events, recommended books, coloring pages, and more please visit chipublib.org/AfricanAmericanHistory.
In addition to the online events, seven CPL branches are displaying exhibits making visible the lives of the African Americans (or organizations) those branches are named after (Douglass, Manning, King, Thurgood Marshall, Whitney Young Jr., Coleman, & Chicago Bee branches). CPL Special Collections also recently completed the digitization of the Mariame Kaba papers, and those interested in a contemporary view of abolition and organizing can view the collection by appointment.
Online Event Highlights:
Yoga Story Time with Mrs. Lina
Thursdays in February at 11 AM
Join Mrs. Lina as she shares yoga poses, breathing techniques, songs, rhymes and books, plus suggestions for at-home activities.
Cancer Disparities in Minority Communities
Monday, February 7th at 6 PM
Join community health organizations for a look into how cancer affects communities of color and what can be done to change this narrative.
Doctor Bombay: East Meets West Health Discussion
Thursday, February 10th at 6 PM
Join Doctor Bombay for a discussion of differing and similar health practices in Eastern and Western medicine.
How Mental and Physical Health Affects our Hair Growth
Wednesday, February 16th at 6 PM
Join Crystal Ross, CEO/Founder of Endow Mi Lavish Hair Extensions, for a discussion of how stress and physical health impact hair loss and growth and tips on how to improve the overall wellness of your hair.
Therapeutic Grab and Go Kits are available at South Chicago, Thurgood Marshall, West Chicago, Beverly, Hall, and Woodson Regional branches.
Reading Recommendations
We recommend these books exploring African American heritage, history, and Black Mental Health & Physical Wellness:
- Black Mental Health and Physical Wellness: Books for Kids
- Black Mental Health and Physical Wellness: Books for Teens
- Black Mental Health and Physical Wellness: Books for Adults
- African American History: Recent Highlights for Adults
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