Black History Month
Why does Black History Month occur in February? The relevance of February goes back to 1926, when ASALH’s (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) founder Dr. Carter G. Woodson first established “Negro History Week” during the second week of February. And why that week? Because it encompasses the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass—both men being great American symbols of freedom. However, Woodson never confined Negro History to a week. His life’s work and the mission of ASALH since its founding in 1915 represent a living testimony to the year-round and year-after-year study of African American history.
Black History Month Theme
The theme for 2022 focuses on the importance of Black Health and Wellness. This theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. The 2022 theme considers activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well.
Celebrate Black History Month
Celebrate Black History Month 2022 with a virtual program that will be available on-demand to engage, educate, and inspire the community. This On-demand video program features local experts from diverse fields focusing on this year’s theme, Black Health and Wellness, and will be available on the City of Coppell’s YouTube page on February 9. This theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. The 2022 theme considers activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well. More information, including a display of materials, will be available at the Cozby Library and Community Commons throughout the month of February.
Books
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen • Zoe Adjonyoh
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen • Inger Burnett-Zeigler
Black Women’s Mental Health • Stephanie Y. Evans
Black Faces, White Spaces • Carolyn Finney
Reclaiming Our Health • Michelle A. Gourdine
Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men • Nicholas Grier
How to Survive America • D.L. Hughley
Caring for Equality • David McBride
An African American Philosophy of Medicine • Frederick V. Newsome, MD, MSc
Farming While Black • Leah Penniman
Undivided Rights • Jael Silliman
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks • Rebecca Skloot
Medical Apartheid • Harriet A Washington
Black Fatigue • Mary-Frances Winters
Websites
Health Justice
Black Women’s Health Imperative
National Black Women’s Justice Institute
African American Wellness Project
All of Us
Black Health Matters
NICHQ
Council on Black Health
Black Women in Medicine (Documentary)
Advancing Health Equity
Playlist
Every February, we take time to acknowledge the broad influence of Black Americans throughout history. The Black American experience is particularly dynamic in that its stories owe just as much to region and era as they do to familial heritage and personal circumstance. Since the very beginning, so much of this has been chronicled through music. The Black History Month playlist is a collection of these many vantage points and their vessels, from those dispensed over strings and horns to those unfurled over beats and scratches. Celebrate Black History Month with a journey through the sound of the Black experience.
“Rise Up” Andra Day
“Stand By Me” Ben E. King
“A Change is Gonna Come” Sam Cooke
“Skin Deep” Buddy Guy
“Celebration” Kool & The Gang
“Lean on Me” Bill Withers
“Don’t Worry Be Happy” Bobby McFerrin
“What’s Going On” Marvin Gaye
“Higher Ground” Stevie Wonder
“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” Otis Redding
“Dancing in the Street” Martha and the Vandellas
“Respect” Aretha Franklin
“We Are Family” Sister Sledge
“Man in the Mirror” Michael Jackson
“Earth Song” Michael Jackson
“Glory” John Legend feat. Common
“How I Got Over” Mahalia Jackson
“I Smile” Kirk Franklin
“A Song for You”
Donny Hathaway
“Someday We’ll All Be Free” Donny Hathaway