African American Resources
From GRPLpedia
New Titles
African Americans and...
Affirmative Action and Discrimination
Books and other library materials:
websites:
Affirmative Action and Diversity Project Diverse opinions regarding affirmative action issues
Fact Monster History and Timeline
Biography
Books and other library materials:
Reference Books:
Who's Who Among African Americans
websites:
Biography Channel Many biographies by category
Biography Resource Center *Note: This is a paid database that will require you to login with your GRPL library card.
Famous African Americans from Michigan
Civil Rights
Books and other library materials:
Adults Kids and Teens Fiction for Adults Fiction for Kids and Teens
websites:
ACLU American Civil Liberties Union
Historical Places of the Civil Rights Movement
Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers A project at Stanford University
NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Reporting Civil Rights Reporters and journalism of the American Civil Rights Movement
Voices of Civil Rights A collaboration to collect and preserve personal accounts of America's struggle to fulfill the promise of equality for all.
Grand Rapids Historical Resources
For a list of local African American history resources, visit this page or stop by the local history department on the fourth floor of the library. Some items of interest include biographical files, photographic collections, manuscripts, oral histories, and newspaper clipping files.
Highlights from the collections:
Paul I. Phillips Manuscript Collection
This collection contains news clippings, writings, speeches, memorabilia, and biographical data on Phillips, an early director of the Grand Rapids Urban League. It also has detailed data on minorities in Grand Rapids and contains a history of African-Americans in Grand Rapids.
Time span: 1947 - 1979
William Glenn Collection
William Glenn, 1903 – 1986, was a local African American Activist working for civil rights, housing, and senior citizens. Because of his activism and work with the Progressive Party, plus a trip to Russia, he came under investigation by the State Police and the FBI. Police and FBI files are part of this collection along with photographs and papers. Time span: 1941- 1986.
African Americans Newspaper Clippings Index
One can find gems of information in this file. Newspaper clippings from West Michigan newspapers have been collected and filed chronologically in the large file drawers. Articles from 1830 to 1935 are indexed.
Biography & Portrait File
The Biography and Portrait file is in card catalog drawers, organized alphabetically by individual names. On each card you may find newspapers references, history book references, and obituaries. Newspapers and histories referred to on these cards can be accessed in the GRHSCC. If a vertical file has been created for a person, it might contain old newspaper clippings, brochures and fliers, or student research papers. Local African American names in this file include Helen Claytor, Sarah Glover, Roger Wilkins, William Glenn, Walter Coe, William Randolf (Randy) Brown, Lyman Parks, Emmet Bolden, Floyd Skinner, Hazel Grant, Ella Sims, Margaret Sellers Walker
Harlem Renaissance
Books and other library materials:
Adults Kids and Teens Fiction for Adults Fiction for Kids and Teens
websites:
Drop Me Off in Harlem Exploring the themes and voices that emerged during the Harlem Renaissance
Jazz Age Culture Good historical web site with many links
Jacob Lawrence The Whitney Museum's Online site designed to introduce visitors to the art and life of Jacob Lawrence.
Health
Check out the GRPLpedia page just for African American Health
Literature / Urban Fiction
Check out the GRPLpedia page just for Urban Fiction/Street Lit
Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Books and other library materials:
Adults Kids and Teens Fiction for Adults Fiction for Kids and Teens
websites:
Africans in America: America's Journy Through Slavery (PBS)
Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record
Breaking the Silence: Learning about the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Remembering the Crossing (GVSU)
Magazines and Journals at the Library
- The library owns literally thousands of magazines and newspapers in print, microfiche, microfilm, and electronic formats. These magazines are located in the Reading Room, our Youth Services Department, the Grand Rapids History and Special Collections Department, and our Retrieval Desk at the Main library, as well as at each of our branches.
- Search our catalog for specific titles or browse a more comprehensive A to Z list. Our catalog will tell you the dates we own, the most recent issues we've received, and which locations hold these magazines and newspapers.
- Search our databases for full-text articles and citations from thousands more magazines and newspapers. Check MeL (the Michigan Electronic Library) to find out if a magazine's full-text articles are included in a database. For a list of all magazines included in our databases, either as full-text or as a brief citation, search here.
- Below are links to the catalog for current subscriptions in specific subject areas as well as links to these titles' websites.
Black Enterprise
Black Issues Book Review
Colorlines
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Ebony
Essence
Heart & Soulcatalog Jet
MultiCultural Review
O: The Oprah Magazine
Take Pride! Community
Upscale
Vibe
- Also, the Grand Rapids History and Special Collections department of the library has compiled a collection of local newspaper clippings pertaining to African Americans from as far back as 1830! Check out the index!
[edit]Additional Web Resources
African American Odyssey A wonderful site from the Library of Congress
Black History Encyclopaedia Britannica's Guide to Black History
Black History Month: Soul of a Culture A special report from CNN
BlackPast.org: Remembered and Reclaimed An exploration of African American history with both primary and secondary documents
Negro Baseball League History of the teams and players of the Negro Baseball Leagues
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture A wealth of resources from the New York Public Library.
