Black History Month

February is Black History Month (also known as African American History Month). This annual celebration highlights the people, events, and histories of the Black community in the United States and internationally.
Half a century after the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in September 1915. Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the organization focused on researching and promoting the achievements of Black Americans and others from the African diaspora. The group sponsored a national Negro History Week in 1926 during the second week of February to coincide with Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ birthdays. The celebration gained popularity by the late 1960s, and in 1976, President Gerald R. Ford, Jr. officially recognized Black History Month nationally.
To recognize and celebrate this month, CEHHS curated a list of resources centering Black voices and stories. These resources are available through the UT Library and online.
2025 Resource Update – African Americans and Labor
The 2025 Black History Month theme, African Americans and Labor, highlights the significant role of work and labor in Black history and culture. Work has been central to Black history and culture, from the agricultural labor of enslaved Africans to the debates among Black educators on vocational training, self-help strategies, and entrepreneurship in Black communities. Understanding Black labor is crucial to comprehending Black history, as it has been a cornerstone of U.S. society, with Black professionals and workers continually striving for better working conditions and fair treatment. Learn more about this year’s theme through the ASALH website.
Learn More
- African Americans at Work | Multimedia
- America Works: Season Five | Podcast Series
- The Legacy of African American Farmers | Documentary Episode
- To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors After the Civil War | Book
- Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America | Book
The Indelible Appalachians

Friday, February 7 | 5:30 – 8 p.m. ET | Beck Cultural Exchange Center
Join the Knoxville community for a screening of The Indelible Appalachians, a powerful documentary that shares the often-overlooked experiences of Black Appalachians. This film takes viewers on a moving journey through the mountains and valleys of Appalachia, capturing the stories of individuals dedicated to preserving their history, embracing their present, and shaping their future.
Following the screening, there will be a Q&A discussion with the film director, Frederick Murphy, and producer, Andrew Smith. Knoxville’s own William Isom, II, will join to share his experience as director of PBS’s Black in Appalachia Project.
The event is part of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center‘s Black History Month programming. Dinner will be provided. We hope you will join us to reflect and celebrate the hidden stories of our community.
Black Voices
The resources below feature some of the voices in the Black community through different media formats. Bolded resources signify those written/created by Black individuals.
Previously Highlighted Resources
2024 Highlighted Resources
- 2024 BHM Theme – ASALH | Printable PDF
- African American Artists and Selected Works | Multimedia
- Blacktalk: Artists on Native, African, and African American Stereotypes | Multimedia
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler | Physical Book – E-Book – Illustrated Edition
- Singing the Gender-Bending Blues (Sidedoor) | Podcast Episode
- Tap World | Documentary
2023 Highlighted Resources
- The Emancipation Circuit | E-Book
- Freedom, Resistance, and the Journey Toward Equality | Multimedia
- Ida B. Wells (No Man’s Land) | Podcast Episode
- Why Puerto Rican Bomba Music Is Resistance | Video
General Educational Resources
- An African American and Latinx History of the United States | Physical Book – Paul Ortiz
- A Black Women’s History of the United States | E-Book – Daina Berry and Kali Gross
- Four Hundred Souls | Physical Book – Ibram X. Kendi (Ed.) and Keisha Blain (Ed.)
- How the Word Is Passed | Physical Book – Clint Smith
- The Warmth of Other Suns | Physical Book – Isabel Wilkerson
Essays, Poetry & Memoirs
- African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song | Poetry – Kevin Young (Ed.)
- Call Us What We Carry | Poetry – Amanda Gorman
- James Baldwin: Collected Essays | Essays – James Baldwin
- Wandering in Strange Lands | Essays – Morgan Jerkins
- The Yellow House | Memoir – Sarah Broom
Movies, Documentaries & Videos
- Black American History – Crash Course Series | Video Series
- Eyes on the Prize | Documentary
- Olympic Pride, American Prejudice | Documentary
- Selma | Documentary
- Soundtrack for a Revolution | Documentary
Multimedia Resources
- African American History Online | Resource Guide
- Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs | Digital Collection
- NMAAHC Virtual Museum Exhibitions | Virtual Exhibit
- Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories | Digital Collection
- With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty | Virtual Exhibit
Physical & E-Books
- Americanah | Physical Book – Chimamanda Adichie
- Felix Ever After | Physical Book – Kacen Callender
- Love in Colour | Physical Book – Bolu Babalola
- The Nickel Boys | Physical Book – Colson Whitehead
- The Vanishing Half | Physical Book – Brit Bennett
Podcasts
- Code Switch | National Public Radio
- Historically Black | American Public Media
- The Read | Kid Fury and Crissle
- The Secret Adventures of Black People | Nichole Hill
- The Stoop | Hana Baba and Leila Day
Updated February 2025 by Miranda N. Rutan, Doctoral Student, CEHHS A&E, UT Knoxville | Curated February 2022 by Miranda N. Rutan, Doctoral Student, CEHHS A&E, UT Knoxville