African American Resources

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Contents

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African Americans and...

Art

Education

Film

Military

Music

Poetry

Politics

Religion

Sciences

Sports

Affirmative Action and Discrimination

Books and other library materials:

Adults    Kids and Teens


websites:

Affirmative Action and Diversity Project Diverse opinions regarding affirmative action issues

Fact Monster History and Timeline

Biography

Books and other library materials:

Adults     Kids and Teens


Reference Books:

Contemporary Black Biography

Who's Who Among African Americans

Black Women in America


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


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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.

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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

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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.

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Health

Check out the GRPLpedia page just for African American Health

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Literature / Urban Fiction

Check out the GRPLpedia page just for Urban Fiction/Street Lit

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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)

Story of Africa (BBC)


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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 & Soul

catalog

catalog

catalog

catalog

catalog

catalog

catalog

website

website

website

website

website

website

website

Jet

MultiCultural Review

O: The Oprah Magazine

Take Pride! Community

Upscale

Vibe

catalog

catalog

catalog

catalog

catalog

catalog

website

website

website

website

website

website

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  • 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!

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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.

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