Black History Month 2022

Black History Month is celebrated annually in the United States during the month of February. We encourage you throughout the year to celebrate and learn more about African Americans’ key role in U.S. history, and their vital contributions to American culture, past and present. Between February 1 and February 28, pick up a passport at the Lake Oswego Library (or print one by clicking the icon) and participate in the activities listed for a chance to win a gift certificate to a local Black-owned business! Participation is open to everyone.

Here's how it works:

1. Pick up a passport from the Lake Oswego Library or download one here. Color in or add a checkmark to the box of each activity completed between February 1 and February 28. For more information about the activities, check out the suggestions and resources below.
2. Fill out your contact information on the passport, and return it to the Lake Oswego Library by March 11.
3. Notifications will be sent to winners of the random drawing by March 18, 2022.

Sponsored by African American Women of Lake Oswego and Surrounding Areas, the Lake Oswego Public Library, LO for LOve, and Respond to Racism.

Black History Month Passport Activities & Resources

1. Read a book by a Black author. Need some leads? Check out the book displays at the Library, the Library’s Pinterest pages for youth and Pinterest pages for adults, and Library staff recommendations. Multnomah County Library also offers a virtual Black storytime weekly. Learn more at https://multcolib.org/events/its-black-storytime-live.
    
2. Research a prominent Black person’s contributions to STEAM (the fields of Science, Technology, Art, Engineering, and Mathematics). Visit the ScienceMakers website to access bios of prominent African American scientists online. This project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Information about pioneers in STEM fields can also be found at Blackpast.org. You can also browse books for children about African American inventors below! All books featured here are available for checkout through LINCC.
    
    
3. Support a Black-owned restaurant or business.
    
4. Attend the virtual Library presentation on “The History of African Americans in Oregon" with Zachary Stocks from Oregon Black Pioneers on February 4. Learn more about this event and register online here.
    
5. Learn about Carter G. Woodson, whose efforts led to the creation of Black History Month in 1976.
    
6. Watch a film about the history or culture of Black people. Looking for ideas? Browse films about Black experiences on Kanopy at https://lakeoswego.kanopy.com. LO LINCC library card required.
    
7. Complete an act of service in honor of an iconic Black person. Learn about volunteer organizations in Lake Oswego and the Portland area here: https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/library/volunteer-sites.
    
8. Learn about the history of the Vanport community. Consider checking out the traveling exhibit entitled Vanport: A Story Lived, A Story Told on the main floor of the Library between February 1-8, and/or attending the virtual film screening and group discussion on A Place Called Home: From Vanport to Albina on February 4. Learn more and register for the screening and discussion here. Consider also viewing the documentary Priced Out: 15 Years of Gentrification in Portland, Oregon on Kanopy.
    
9. Bring a little one to the virtual Storytime with Katharine Phelps on February 7. All ages are welcome. Register online at www.respondtoracism.org.
    
10. Learn about organizations that support and advocate for the Black community. Check out Respond to Racism, LO for LOve, African American Women of Lake Oswego and Surrounding Areas, and other local nonprofit organizations working to support Black communities. Consider supporting the work that they do!
     
11. Check out a cookbook on Black cuisines at the Library and try a new recipe. Search the catalog at lincc.org.
     
12. Learn about the influential Black people for whom local buildings, districts, streets, schools, and parks are named. Options include Happy Valley’s Beatrice Morrow Cannady Elementary School and Adrienne C. Nelson High School, and Portland’s Pearl District, Unthank Park, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School.
     
13. Read or listen to a recording of the Black National Anthem. Did you know that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was originally written as a poem before being set to music? Read the poem here, and check out some of our recommendations on YouTube below:
    1. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by William Grant Still
        
    2. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra
        
    3. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Kim Weston (recorded at the Wattstax Festival)
        
14. Check out a Black History Celebration Kit at the Library. Intended to inspire dinner table conversations about the joy, struggle, and achievements of Black Americans, these book bundles are geared toward different ages and include discussion questions. Kits are available to browse in the Library’s Children’s Department.
     
15. Practice self-care or learn about how to be an ally to the Black community. Check out the Nap Ministry, Black-led resources for mental health compiled by Harvard University, information about the importance of self-care from the National Museum of African American History & Culture, as well as Peace in Schools. There are also many ways to be an ally to the Black community, and support at every level counts! Consider the various ways that you can take action.
     
16. Your own great idea for celebrating Black history and culture: _______. Fill in the blank! Examples might include visiting the Nelson Mandela exhibit at OMSI (open through 2/13), listening to a podcast about Black history or experiences, watching the MLK Day Celebration video (produced by the City of Lake Oswego and the local Bahá’í community), visiting the Color Line exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, checking out stories written by Black authors on the Library’s Story Line, volunteering to read a book about Black history to a classroom, following a new Black artist on Instagram, and so much more!

Don’t forget to return your passports to the Library by March 11 to be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win a gift certificate to a local Black-owned business!

Do you have questions about the passport? Give our librarians a call at 503-675-2540.