African-American – Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library

Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Join us in the School Library as we explore, acknowledge and celebrate Black History, with an emphasis on the experience of Canadians of African descent, African-Americans, and other peoples in the world-wide African diaspora.

Come down to see featured displays of books and other library materials for Black History Month. And throughout February, look here for more online content, including more about Black Canadians such as Fergie Jenkins, Rosemary Brown, Willie O’Ree, Michaëlle Jean, Lincoln Alexander, Viola Davis Desmond, and Drake.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa takes place every year from December 26 to January 1

_{source: CC BY-NC 2.0} _{Reginald James/TheBlackHour.com}

From the Official Kwanzaa Website:

“Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.”

Find out more:

And check out these books from our display, “Holidays and Holy Days” :

Black History Month

Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1)

From the Official Kwanzaa Website:

Find out more:

And check out these books from our display, “Holidays and Holy Days” :

Ali the Conscientious Objector

On this date in 1967, Muhammed Ali was arrested for refusing his conscription into the US military for the Vietnam War. Ali was the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, and arguably the most famous athlete in the world, perhaps of all time. Yet later that day he was stripped of his titles and effectively banned from boxing for more than 3 years, at the height of his athletic prowess.

Ali was already a powerful symbol for African-American Civil Rights. His decision to be a conscientious objector, refusing to be drafted for the Vietnam War, elevated his status in the US and around the world as a counter-cultural icon. He stated, “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?” (source) Ali would eventually box again, regaining his championship belts, but it is his status as a champion of peace and of human rights that make him a true hero.

Find out more:

Muhammad Ali and Vietnam- The Atlantic

Why Ali Refused to Fight in the War- Washington Post

Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction- History.com

Muhammad Ali… – The Undefeated

The Ali Center

Black History Month

Come down to the School Library to check out our display for Black History Month. We have books and other library resources related to the history of black people in Canada, the USA and throughout the world of the “African Diaspora.”

Here are some of the titles:

Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1)

From the Official Kwanzaa Website:

Find out more:

And check out these books from our display, “Holidays and Holy Days” :

Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1)

From the Official Kwanzaa Website:

Find out more:

And check out these books from our display, “Holidays and Holy Days” :

Kwanzaa Dec 26 to Jan 1

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language. ”

(From the Official Kwanzaa Website)