Black History Month

FEBRUARY 1-28, 2025

Additional Resources | Programming 

Black History Month Challenge

Join the Milwaukee Public Library in celebrating Black History and uplifting Black voices. From February 1-28, 2025, all ages can participate by completing three of the activities listed below. Any combination is accepted -- multiple submissions are allowed! 

Complete and return an entry form to any MPL location or
track your progress online by March 1, 2025. 

Calling all child care, K-12, and college educators! Complete the challenge with your students, fill out this quick online entry form, and be automatically entered in a drawing for a chance to win a $50 Niche Book Bar gift certificate for your classroom.

• Read a book about Black History.
• Read a book by a Black author or illustrator.
• Watch a movie or documentary on a Black History change-maker, or unsung heroes. 
• Listen to an audiobook by a Black author or about Black History.
• Use a library database such as Hoopla, Overdrive's Libby app, the Wisconsin Digital Library, Kanopy, or ABC-CLIO American Mosaic - The African American Experience.
• Attend a Black History Month program at your Milwaukee Public Library. 

A special thank you to MKE Black for their prize donation.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Black History Month Booklist
• Coloring Sheet
• Crossword Puzzle
• Word Search
• Dr. James Cameron Pamphlet Collection

PROGRAMMING - [Flyer]

Ode to Black History

Saturday, February 1 from 2-3 p.m.
Atkinson Branch

Join us as we celebrate black history through poetry and spoken word.

Romance Readers Book Club

Tuesday, February 4 from 6-7 p.m.
East Branch

Romance readers seasoned and new to the genre are invited to join the Romance Readers Book Club. We'll explore different subgenres and diverse voices, meeting every other month. This month's book is An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole.

Vel Phillips: Dream Big Dreams - Movie Showing 

Tuesday, February 4 from 6-7:30 p.m.
Atkinson Branch

In honor of Black History Month, come enjoy some popcorn and learn about all of the "firsts" of Vel Phillips at this evening movie showing.

Black History Month Book Tasting

Thursday, February 6 from 3-5 p.m.
Villard Square Branch

Taste test snacks from local and national Black-owned businesses while you sample a curated menu of books that highlight Black history and Black voices.

Black History Month Challenge Kickoff Event

Saturday, February 8 from 10:30 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Milwaukee Central Library

Celebrate the kickoff of our Black History Month Challenge in a day of art, activities, and fun for all ages. Tabling is provided by America's Black Holocaust Museum, The Classic Shoppe, and Lush Popcorn.

Art of Fun for Everyone!

Saturday, February 8 from 10:30- 11:15 a.m.
Milwaukee Central Library | Children's Herzfeld Activity Center

Let's make art! Author and illustrator Christian Robinson's "art of fun" inspires this Black History Month program where we'll play with shape, color, and texture--letting our imaginations soar!

Illustration Masterclass with Aaron Boyd

Saturday, February 8 from 11:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
Milwaukee Central Library | Rotary Club of Milwaukee Community Room

Join local award-winning illustrator Aaron Boyd for an inspiring hands-on illustration workshop for all ages! After a behind-the-scenes look into Aaron’s illustration process, create and share your own artistic interpretations of passages from his books. Art supplies are generously provided by MIAD. Limited to 25 spots, register online at mpl.org/calendar.

Aaron Boyd knew by age five that he wanted to be an artist. Inspired by artists inside the pages of children’s books at his local library, by age six he knew what he wanted to do with his art: make children’s books. After graduating from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Aaron practiced his craft in children’s magazines and board games before illustrating his first picture book in 1999. Since then, Aaron has illustrated dozens of books and begun writing and illustrating his own stories. Aaron illustrated The Story of Civil Rights Hero John Lewis and the Wisconsin Historical Society Press title Brownie the War Dog.

Author Visit – Dr. Derek G. Handley 

Tuesday, February 11 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Milwaukee Central Library | Rotary Club of Milwaukee Community Room

MPL is thrilled to host Dr. Derek G. Handley, author of Struggle for the City: Citizenship and Resistance in the Black Freedom Movement, released in November 2024. In this book, Dr. Handley shows how African American residents in three communities - the Hill district of Pittsburgh, the Bronzeville neighborhood of Milwaukee, and the Rondo district of St. Paul - attempted to protect their communities from urban renewal and enacted a new form of citizenship to fight for their neighborhoods. This event is co-sponsored by Boswell Books Company, and copies of Struggle for the City will be available to purchase from Boswell at the event.

Winter Film Series – Black History Month

Friday, February 14 from 2-4 p.m.
East Branch

Join us for Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People, highlighting Black History Month! East Branch Library will host a film screening using Kanopy all winter long. Held every second Friday of the month, each movie will focus on a theme: poverty for January, Black cinema for February, and women's history for March.

Learn how to access similar titles at home using your Milwaukee Public Library card. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

The Me I Choose to Be

Friday, February 14 from 4-5 p.m.
Center Street Branch

What are your wildest dreams for the future? Will you travel to outer space? Lead the world? Make amazing art? Design a self-portrait showing your future self and explore collage and Afrofuturist art through The Me I Choose To Be by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, with art by Regis and Kahran Bethencourt. This program will be held in the children's room.

Valiant Vel: Vel Phillips and the Fight for Fairness and Equality - Book Release Event with Author Jerrianne Hayslett & Illustrator Aaron Boyd and Special Guest Michael Phillips

Saturday, February 15 at 1 p.m.
Milwaukee Central Library | Centennial Hall 

Join MPL for the book release event of Valiant Vel: Vel Phillips and the Fight for Fairness and Equality, an illustrated biography of groundbreaking civil rights activist Vel Phillips for young readers. Hear from the book’s author Jerrianne Hayslett and illustrator Aaron Boyd at this wonderful event through the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

Fair housing advocate, civil rights champion, and civic leader Vel Phillips spent her life breaking barriers and fighting for justice for all people. As the first Black woman on the Milwaukee Common Council, Wisconsin’s first Black judge, and the first Black woman to win statewide office when she was elected secretary of state of Wisconsin, Phillips left a lasting legacy that has inspired generations.

Valiant Vel depicts Phillips’s captivating story—from her childhood experiences facing racial discrimination, to achieving her dream of becoming a lawyer, to her long career in politics. Phillips led a campaign for fair housing in Milwaukee, marching with the NAACP Youth Council and others in the face of violent opposition. In 1968, Phillips’s persistence paid off when the Milwaukee Common Council passed a fair housing ordinance.

Beautifully illustrated with historic photographs and original artwork by Milwaukee artist Aaron Boyd, Valiant Vel makes an excellent addition to young readers’ bookshelves at school and at home. With an afterword by Phillips’s son, a glossary of terms, and sources for further research, this book provides a thorough look at an activist who dedicated her life to making the world a better place.

BlkArt: History & Culture Workshop - Celebrating Women’s History Month

Tuesday, February 18 from 6-7:30 p.m.
Center Street Branch

Create Keepsake art of inspiring African American women such as Ida B. Wells, Zora Neale Hurston, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, and more! All artwork will be exhibited in March as a community art exhibition to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Coming to America Book Club (Virtual)

Wednesday, February 19 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

This book club approaches American identity as an evolving and ongoing conversation, using fiction and non-fiction to explore questions of identity, assimilation, language, cuisine, generational change, and other aspects of life in the United States.

A special guest for this month is Cebo Campbell, author of February's selection, Sky Full of Elephants. Register in advance for this program. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Create Like a “Radiant Child”

Saturday, February 22 from 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Milwaukee Central Library | Children's Herzfeld Activity Center

Put on your crown and create like a "Radiant Child" this Black History Month! Learn how Jean Michel Basquiat became an influential contemporary artist and create your own Basquiat-inspired portrait. 

We Eat to Remember - Community Meal with Poet Fabu

Saturday, February 22 from 12-2 p.m.
Mitchell Street Branch

Food is for the soul. Celebrate Black History Month at our Cargill Community Kitchen with Chef Sharrie Agee and Poet, Dr. Fabu Phillis Carter. This community meal will be serving up an irresistible offering for the mind and body, with a soul food menu from Chef Sharrie, and a poetry reading from the renowned Poet Fabu. Books will be for sale, and a book signing will follow the program. Space is limited, and registration is required.

Thriving Together: A Black History Month Wellness Market

Tuesday, February 25 from 4-6:30 p.m. 
Milwaukee Central Library | Rotary Club of Milwaukee Community Room

Join us for a Black History Month event centering on health, wellness, and empowering our community as we Thrive Together. Meet community wellness practitioners and entrepreneurs while gaining helpful tips on incorporating wellness practices into your daily life and celebrate the legacy of Black health pioneers who have shaped our journey to well-being.

• 4:30-5 p.m.: Breathwork and Stress Release with Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee and SKY Schools.
• 5- 5:30 p.m.: Recharge, Connect, and Explore. Enjoy tea samples from HoneyBee Sage Apothecary while connecting with local health and wellness organizations.
• 5:30-6 p.m.: Health & Self-Advocacy Discussion with Angela Mallett of  HoneyBee Sage Apothecary.

Learn about community health resources from the City of Milwaukee Office of Community Wellness and Safety, Healthy MKE, Milwaukee Health Services Inc., MKE Black, and Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee.

Black History Month Bingo

Tuesday, February 25 from 6-7:30 p.m.
Mitchell Street Branch

Get your thinking caps on for Black History Bingo!  A fun event for the family to enjoy together all while learning facts about prominent historical black figures and leaders.

History At Noon:  Lunchtime Journeys Through the Past: African Americans from Wisconsin in the Civil War 

Wednesday, February 26 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Zablocki Branch

Discover the history of the 29th US Colored Infantry whose Company F was the only unit of the USCT recognized as being from Wisconsin.

Presented by Jeff Kannel from the Wisconsin Historical Society.

ABHM Book Club: A Time of Terror

Friday, February 28 from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Milwaukee Central Library

Join the Milwaukee Public Library and America's Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) as we partner to discuss Dr. James Cameron's 1982 memoir, A Time of Terror, and showcase a collection of Dr. Cameron's self-published writings. Visit abhmuseum.org/book-club-discussion-guides/ for more information about the ABHM Book Club series, and mpl.org/special_collections/images/dr-james-cameron-pamphlet-collection for more information about the Dr. James Cameron Pamphlet Collection.