1. Art and Diseño

Public Libraries of Saginaw
2015 African-American History Month
A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture
Over the past century, African-American life, history, and culture have become
major forces in the United States and the world. In 1915, few could have
imagined that African-Americans in music, art, and literature would become
appreciated by the global community. Fewer still could have predicted the
prominence achieved by African-Americans, as well as other people of African
descent, in shaping world politics, war, and diplomacy. Indeed, it was nearly
universally believed that Africans and people of African descent had played no
role in the unfolding of history and were a threat to American civilization itself.
A century later, few can deny the centrality of African-Americans in the making
of American history.
Board of Directors of the Coleman Manufacturing
Co., Concord, N.C., the only Negro cotton mill in
the U.S. in the early 1900s.
This transformation is the result of effort, not chance. Confident that their
struggles mattered in human history, black scholars, artists, athletes, and
leaders self-consciously used their talents to change how the world viewed
African-Americans. The New Negro of the post-World War I era made modernity their own and gave the world a
cornucopia of cultural gifts, including jazz, poetry based on the black vernacular, and an appreciation of African art.
African-American athletes dominated individual and team sports transforming baseball, track-and-field, football,
boxing, and basketball. In a wave of social movements, African-American activism transformed race relations,
challenged American foreign policy, and became the American conscience on human rights.
While the spotlight often shines on individuals, this movement is the product of organization,
of institutions and institution-builders who gave direction to effort. The National Urban
League promoted the Harlem Renaissance. The preservation of the black past became the
mission of Arturo Schomburg and Jesse Moorland, leading to the rise of the Schomburg
Research Center in Black Culture and Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research
Center. The vision of Margaret Burroughs and others led to the African-American museum
movement, leading to the creation of black museums throughout the nation, culminating
with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture. Student
activism of the 1960s resulted in the Black Studies Movement and the creation of black
professional associations, including the National Council of Black Studies, and a host of
doctoral programs at major American universities.
Martin Luther King, Jr. at a
press conference in 1964.
At the dawn of these strivings and at all points along the road, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and
History, now the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH) has played a vital role. When
he founded the Association in 1915, Carter G. Woodson labored under the belief that historical truth would crush
falsehoods and usher in a new era of equality, opportunity, and racial democracy, and it has been its charge for a
century. In honor of this milestone, ASALH has selected “A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture” as the 2015
National Black History theme.
© The Association for the Study of African-American Life and History at www.asalh.org
The library has planned many programs and activities throughout the month of February, and
we invite our community to participate in these events. A suggested list of titles for all age
groups to read is available through our website at www.saginawlibrary.org, or you may visit
one of our four library locations for more information.
A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture
Themed Books
African-Americans: Many Rivers to Cross by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The “African-Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” is the companion book to the six-part, six-hour
documentary of the same name, which aired on national, primetime public television in the fall of
2013. 305.896 Ga
Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama by Peniel E. Joseph
Told through the lives of activists, intellectuals, and artists, including Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, Amiri
Baraka, Tupac Shakur, and Barack Obama, “Dark Days, Bright Nights” will make coherent a fraught
half-century of struggle, reassessing its impact on American democracy and the larger world. 323.1 Jo
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks
This graphic novel details the gripping story of the 369th Infantry regiment or, The Harlem Hellfighters,
as the Germans called them. They had spent more time in combat than any other American unit,
never losing a foot of ground to the enemy, or a man to capture, and winning countless decorations.
Though they returned home triumphantly from World War I as heroes, this African-American unit
faced tremendous discrimination. Even so, they fought courageously on and off the battlefield to make
Europe, and America, safe for democracy. Fiction Brooks
Inventive Spirit of African-Americans: Patented Ingenuity by Patricia Carter Sluby
In this important study, former United States primary patent examiner Patricia Carter Sluby pays
homage to the inventive spirit of African-Americans. Beginning with the contributions of enslaved
Africans brought to American shores, Sluby introduces inventors and patent holders from all fields up to
and including the leading edge of today’s technology. 609.2 Sl
Reflections in Black: History of Black
Photographers 1840 to the Present by Deborah Willis
“Reflections in Black,” the first comprehensive history of black photographers, is a groundbreaking
pictorial collection of African-American life. Featuring the work of undisputed masters such as James
VanDerZee, Gordon Parks, and Carrie Mae Weems among dozens of others, this book is a refutation
of the gross caricature of black life that many mainstream photographers have manifested by
continually emphasizing poverty over family, despair over hope. 770 Wi
Jazz: A History of America’s Music by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns
Continuing in the tradition of their critically acclaimed works, Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns
vividly bring to life the story of the quintessential American music—jazz. Born in the black
community of turn-of-the-century New Orleans but played from the beginning by musicians of every
color, jazz celebrates all Americans at their best. 781.65 Wa
Say it Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete by Roxanne Jones
Say It Loud pays tribute not only to such household names as Jackie, Ali, Michael, Tiger, Venus, and
Serena but to the forgotten many who made their success and glory possible. They are heroes, stars,
agitators, and entertainers; mentors, innovators, history-makers, and record-breakers. They are
the men and women whose physical gifts buoyed the spirits of a people and lifted up the soul of a
nation. 796.089 Jo
Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance by Cary D. Wintz
“Harlem Speaks” showcases the lives and works of the artists, writers and intellectuals behind the
stunning outburst of African-American culture in the three decades after World War I. In the tradition
of the New York Times bestseller “Poetry Speaks,” the book combines each subject’s key works with
biographical and critical essays by leading Harlem Renaissance authority Cary Wintz and other experts.
810.9896 Ha
A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture
Telling the Story: Adult Selections
Everyone Should Read!
Act Like A Success, Think Like A Success by Steve Harvey
There are countless books on success, but Harvey tells the reader how to achieve their dreams using the
gift that they already have. He also guides the reader into defining their gift and then acknowledging
it, perfecting it, connecting it to become a success. 158 Ha
Black: A Celebration of a Culture by Deborah Willis
From Jessie Owens to Barry Bonds, Ella Fitzgerald to Halle Berry; this is a vibrant panorama of
twentieth-century black culture in America and around the world. Divided into segments, the
author examines in detail subjects such as children, work, art, beauty, history, Saturday night, and
Sunday morning. This book is a joyous and inspiring exhibition of culture. 305.896 Bl
Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy
Cow Tom, born into slavery in Alabama in 1810 and sold to a Creek Indian chief before his tenth
birthday, possessed an extraordinary gift: the ability to master languages. As the new country
developed westward, and Indians, settlers, and blacks came into constant contact, Cow Tom became a
key translator for his Creek master and was hired out to U.S. military generals. His talent earned him
money—but would it also grant him freedom? And what would become of him and his family in the
aftermath of the Civil War and the Indian Removal westward? Fiction Tademy
Death of a King by Tavis Smiley
Dr. King encountered many trials and tribulations—denunciations by the press, rejection from the
president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character,
ideology, and political tactics, to name a few during his final 365 days of life. However, he still had to
rise above it all so that he could lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to
destroy our democracy. B King
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
This richly imagined narrative brings both black history and women's history to life with an
unsentimental story of two women who became sisters under the skin - Handful, a slave in body whose
mind roves freely and widely, and "owner" Sarah, the daughter of the wealthy Grimke family, whose
mind is shackled by family and society. Fiction Kidd
Mayor for Life by Marion Barry, Jr.
This provocative, captivating narrative follows the Civil Rights activist, going back to his Mississippi
roots, his Memphis upbringing, and his academic school days, up through his college years and move
to Washington, D.C., where he became actively involved in Civil Rights, community activism, and bold
politics. The four-time mayor of Washington, D.C. passed shortly after the release of his biography.
B Barry, M
The Prodigal Son (A Rev. Curtis Black Novel) by Kimberla Lawson Roby
A year ago Matthew became a teenage father, dropped out of Harvard and married his son's mother.
Still brewing on the fact that his mother, Charlotte, had taken matters into her hands and practically
destroyed his wife, Racquel; Matthew distanced himself from Reverend and First Lady Black for more
than a year. Sadly, things get worse! He needs his family but can he ever return home?
Fiction Roby
Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
Charley Bordelon’s deceased father has left her an 800-acre sugarcane field in their native Louisiana,
attaching clear restrictions that she must revive the farm or give it to charity. Reluctantly, the widow
and her 11-year-old daughter relocate from L.A. to rural Louisiana. As a citified black woman with
no experience in farming, can Charley make a go as a sugarcane farmer in an area that clings to
privileges afforded to whites, males, and the wealthy? Fiction Baszile
Selma (Images of America) by Sharon J. Jackson
A century after one of the last battles of the Civil War, Selma again became the scene of a dramatic
struggle when it served as the focal point of the voting-rights movement. As marchers headed for
Montgomery to petition the state legislature for reforms in the voter-registration process, they were
met six blocks outside of town at the Edmund Pettus Bridge by state and local law enforcement. That
day, March 7, became known as Bloody Sunday as the marchers were turned back with Billy clubs and
tear gas. On March 25, after much discussion and a court injunction, some 25,000 marchers finally
crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their way to Montgomery. 976.145 Ja
Tomlinson Hill: The Remarkable Story of Two Families Who Share
the Tomlinson Name--One White, One Black by Chris Tomlinson
Foreign correspondent Chris Tomlinson returns to Texas to discover the truth about his family’s slave
owning history, when the two families, one black and one white, trace their ancestry to the same
Central Texas slave plantation. Tomlinson discovers that his counterpart in the African-American
family is LaDainian Tomlinson, one of the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL.
305.896 To
Butman-Fish Library • 1716 Hancock • 799-9160
Hoyt Library • 505 Janes • 755-9826
Wickes Library • 1713 Hess • 752-3821
Zauel Library • 3100 N. Center • 799-2771
www.saginawlibrary.org
2015 African-American
History Month
A Century of Black Life,
History, and Culture
Just Be ‘Tween’ Us (Ages 10 & Up)
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis
If you’ve read the novel, “Elijah of Buxton,” you’re going to enjoy this sequel. Benji and Red are not
friends, they don’t even live in the same town. A forensic competition brings the two together and
they discover that they have more in common than they imagined. Both of them have encountered a
strange presence in the forest, watching them, tracking them. Could the Madman of Piney Woods be
real? J Curtis
Sabotage, Sedition and Sunday Acts of Rebellion by David Aretha
An historical account of African-American slaves who fought for their freedom on slave ships,
plantations, and wherever else they were held against their will. Well-known slave rebellions such as
Denmark Vesey in 1822, and Nat Turner in 1831, are revealed in this novel. J NF
Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon G. Flake
It’s 1953 and ten-year-old Octobia May lives in her Aunt's boarding house in the South, surrounded
by an African-American community which has its own secrets and internal racism. Mr. Davenport,
the man in room 204 is very strange, which attributes to Octobia spending her days wondering if Mr.
Davenport is really a vampire—or something else entirely. J Flake
Just Us Teens (14 & Up)
Because They Marched: The People’s Campaign for Voting Rights that
Changed America by Russell Freedman
Through black and white photos this book captivates the demonstrations big and small: from sit-ins
and “wade-ins” to the well-known Selma schoolteachers’ march and “Bloody Sunday” at the Edmund
Pettus Bridge. Freedman details day-by-day the culminating several-thousand-strong march to
Montgomery, which spurred the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. YA 323.1196 Fr
Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died-although she did, and it sucks. But
he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket,
and he needs the income since his dad can't handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. An
affecting story of a teenager's path through pain, but one whose faults offset its strengths. YA Fiction
Bronxwood by Coe Booth
Tyrell's father is just out of jail, and Tyrell doesn't know how to deal with that. It's bad enough that his
brother Troy is in foster care and that his mother is no help whatsoever. Now there's another thing up
in his face, just when he's trying to settle down. Will Tyrell survive the temptation? YA Fiction
Caught Up by Amir Abrams
Sixteen-year-old Kennedy Simms is from the suburbs and is attracted to boys who wear sagging jeans
and smell of marijuana smoke—boys her more conservative friends disapprovingly call "thugs" and
"hoodlums." But Kennedy's bored with dating the nerds her parents and friends like; she's determined
to break out of her safe world in a gated community and experience life. It’s bad news when Kennedy
meets Malik, who thrills and romances her. It isn’t until a catastrophic event happens in Kennedy’s
life that she sees the error of her ways, though by then it may be too late. YA Fiction
Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers
Two best friends, a writer and a runner, deal with bullies, family issues, social pressures, and their
quest for success coming out of Harlem. YA Fiction
Hold Tight, Don’t Let Go by Laura Rose Wagner
A vivid story of two teenage cousins, Nadine and Magdalie, raised as sisters, who survive the
devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The girls are inseparable, making the best of their new
circumstances in a refugee center until Nadine’s father who lives in Miami, sends for her but not
Magdalie. They’re both are devastated. Will they ever see each other again? YA Fiction
March: Book One by John Lewis
Congressman Lewis’s commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama
sharecropper's farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on
Washington D.C., and from receiving beatings from state troopers, to receiving the Medal of Freedom
awarded to him by President Barack Obama, the first African-American president. Fiction Lewis
The Perfect Place by Teresa E. Harris
Twelve-year-old Treasure and her younger sister, Tiffany, are tired of moving from place to place every
time her unreliable father leaves the family. While their mother goes to search for him; the girls must
move in with Great-Aunt Grace, in Black Lake, Virginia, where segregation lingers, and Grace is a
nightmare—at least on the surface. J Fiction Harris
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks
This is a graphic novel about the first African-American regiment to fight in World War One. Though
they returned as heroes, this African-American unit faced tremendous discrimination, even from their
own government. The Harlem Hellfighters, as the Germans called them, fought courageously on—
and off—the battlefield to make Europe, and America, safe for democracy. Fiction
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz
The story opens with Malcolm’s departure from Michigan as a teen; and it follows him through
his time in Boston and Harlem, culminating with his conversion to Islam. While in prison in 1948,
Malcolm changed his name to reflect his muslim beliefs. Malcolm X was an important historical figure
and this novel reveals that a person can rise through adversity to make a positive difference in the
world. YA Fiction
Butman-Fish Library • 1716 Hancock • 799-9160
Hoyt Library • 505 Janes • 755-9826
Wickes Library • 1713 Hess • 752-3821
Zauel Library • 3100 N. Center • 799-2771
www.saginawlibrary.org
2015 African-American
History Month
PRESCHOOL through
3rd GRADE
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream
E Dempsy
by Kristy Dempsey
Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds
J Reynolds
I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison
E Schofield-Morrison
Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me
J Beaty
by Daniel Beaty
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
E De La Pena
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown
J B Liston, M
Mahalia Jackson: Walking with Kings and Queens
by Nina Nolan
J Jackson, M
With Books and Bricks - How Booker T. Washington Built a School
by Suzanne Slade
J 370.92 Sl
Butman-Fish Library • 1716 Hancock • 799-9160
Hoyt Library • 505 Janes • 755-9826
Wickes Library • 1713 Hess • 752-3821
Zauel Library • 3100 N. Center • 799-2771
www.saginawlibrary.org
2015 African-American
History Month
4th GRADE and UP
Ali: An American Champion by Barry Denenberg
All Different Now: Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom
J Ali, M
by Angela Johnson
Because they Marched: The People’s Campaign for Voting
Rights that Changed America by Russell Freedman
The Colored Car by Jean Alicia Elster Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil
Rights in Mississippi by Susan Rubin E Johnson
J 323.1196 Fr
J Elster, J
J 323.1196 Ru
Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century by Carole Weatherford J Price, L
Little Man by Elizabeth Mann J Mann
Mumbet’s Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfle
My Name is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth by Ann Turner
J Freeman, E
J Truth, S
Philip Reid Saves the Statue of Freedom by Steven Lapham
J 973.0496 La
Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight
for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin J 940.5453 Sh
Skateboard Party by Karen English
J English
What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of
African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar J 920 Ab
African-American READ-IN Chain
All across America, individuals and families will celebrate
African-American heritage and culture by reading works by
African-American authors during the AFRICAN-AMERICAN
READ-IN CHAIN. Bring your favorite selection and join us
during this celebration.
Community Day READ-IN Chain
Sunday, February 1, 2015
4:00 p.m.
Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church
704 S. 10th Street
Saginaw, Michigan
989-754-1820
Special Guest Presenter: Honorable Terry L. Clark
Saginaw County 70th District Court Judge
Butman-Fish Library · 1716 Hancock ~ 799-9160
Hoyt Library · 505 Janes ~ 755-0904
Wickes Library · 1713 Hess ~ 752-3821
Zauel Library · 3100 N. Center ~ 799-2771
With two weeks advance notice, the Public Libraries of Saginaw will provide necessary,
reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities. Please call 755-9833.
African-American History Month
Programs for Children
“Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears” Puppet Show
Thursday, February 12  4:30 p.m.  Hoyt Library
Monday, February 23  4:30 p.m.  Wickes Library
Saturday, February 28  2:00 p.m.  Butman-Fish Library
Why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears? Well it turns out in Africa that mosquito told iguana such an
unbelievable tale that iguana put sticks in his ears so that he wouldn’t have to listen to such nonsense. Join us
for this hilarious tale from West Africa. Master Puppeteers Linda Bryant and Rhonda Farrell-Butler will present
this special show to celebrate African-American History Month. Children under 7 must have adult supervision.
Puppet Show for Preschoolers
Preschoolers with their parents or childcare providers are invited to celebrate AfricanAmerican History Month during this special presentation of “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in
People’s Ears.” Our preschool storytime is for children 3-5 years of age.
Friday, February 13
10:30 a.m.
Zauel Library
With two weeks advance notice, the Public Libraries of Saginaw will provide necessary, reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities. Please call 989-755-9833.
African-American History Month
Programs for Children
“Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears” Puppet Show
Thursday, February 12  4:30 p.m.  Hoyt Library
Monday, February 23  4:30 p.m.  Wickes Library
Saturday, February 28  2:00 p.m.  Butman-Fish Library
Why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears? Well it turns out in Africa that mosquito told iguana such an
unbelievable tale that iguana put sticks in his ears so that he wouldn’t have to listen to such nonsense. Join us
for this hilarious tale from West Africa. Master Puppeteers Linda Bryant and Rhonda Farrell-Butler will present
this special show to celebrate African-American History Month. Children under 7 must have adult supervision.
Puppet Show for Preschoolers
Preschoolers with their parents or childcare providers are invited to celebrate AfricanAmerican History Month during this special presentation of “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in
People’s Ears.” Our preschool storytime is for children 3-5 years of age.
Friday, February 13
10:30 a.m.
Zauel Library
With two weeks advance notice, the Public Libraries of Saginaw will provide necessary, reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities. Please call 989-755-9833.
A Century of Black Life,
History, and Culture
African-American History Month
Community Celebration
Thursday, February 19 • 6:00 p.m.
Hoyt Library • 505 Janes
Local panelists will engage the audience as they discuss
New York Times bestselling author, Steve Harvey’s book
entitled; “Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success:
Discovering your Gift and the Way to Life’s Riches.”
The panel will be moderated by Desmon Daniel, Ph.D.,
CEO Motivating Factor, LLC. Topics under discussion
will include; embracing your gift, maximizing your gift,
creating your legacy, and more.
PANELISTS:
Jimmy E. Greene, Founder, SVAALTI
(Saginaw Valley African American Leadership Training Institute)
PANEL MODERATOR
Desmon Daniel, Ph.D.
Copies of the book
are available for
check out.
Kevin N. Gregory, Project Management & Organizational Dev. Consultant
Dr. Pamela Pugh Smith, Member, Michigan State Board of Education
Mary C. Currie, Co-Organizer and Senior Advisor
Gamma Kappa Kudos of Phi Delta Kappa Sorority, Inc.
Certificates of Achievement:
SVAALTI and Gil Johnson, President, Saginaw Valley Ford Lincoln
Special Tributes: Carl Williams and Stacey Erwin Oakes, Esquire
With two weeks advance notice, the Public Libraries of Saginaw will provide necessary,
reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities. Please call 989-755-9833.