Black History Month at the library

The library will be celebrating Black History Month during February with several FREE events and activities. Author and scholar Clyde Ford will present “Dog-Whistles and Cat-Calls: The Modern Signs, Symbols, and Signals of Hate” at 6 p.m.on Saturday, Feb. 8, in the library’s Graves Reading Area.

Kevin Carter, inclusion and diversity consultant, will present “Orcas Island: Building a More Inclusive Paradise” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18 in the library’s Graves Reading Area.

Beginning Feb. 3 the library will have a display featuring a timeline of the Civil Rights Movement, then and now. We will also have a display of important black individuals from current leaders like President Barack Obama to historical figures like Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History Month. The library staff will feature books and multi-media from the collection in adult, young adult and children reading levels. Fun activities and bookmarks will also be available.

President Gerald Ford decreed Black History Month a national observance in 1976 to recognize “with admiration the impressive contributions of black Americans to our national life and culture.” Join us as we recognize and “honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” (Ford, 1976)

More information on all events is available at http://www.orcaslibrary.org/.