HomeBlack History

Black History

Black History

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Occasion: Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, was asked to give an address regarding the Fourth of July, at a meeting sponsored by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society, Rochester Hall, Rochester, N.Y. Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience without a...
Black History

Scholars Angela Y. Davis and Jelani Cobb Gift Wisdom and Inspire Intergenerational Reflections at BPL’s Kahn Humanities Event

In a milestone recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Brooklyn Public Library’s 2026 Kahn Humanities Series invited two of the country’s leading scholars and educators, Angela Y. Davis and...

Keep exploring

Black History

Blacks and the Battle of Brooklyn Soldiers, Spies and Supporters

by Fern GillespieThe first and largest battle during the Revolutionary War happened in Brooklyn...
Black History

‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ has its day at the Cannes Film Festival, 50 years after it was shot

By  JAKE COYLE CANNES, France (AP) — David Greaves was 26 when his father, the pioneering...
Black History

Billy Mitchell: The Brooklyn Resident Who is Harlem’s Mr. Apollo

by Fern Gillespie The Apollo Theatre is entrenched in Black music culture and Brooklyn resident...
Arts-Theater

Key Notes on Weston, Coltrane, Miles, Melba and other Jazz Centennials…

"In 1926, as the Harlem Renaissance surged and the music was transforming American culture,...
Black History

When Brooklyn Answered the Call: Remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson

by Binta Vann “He could motivate and generate movement among people with his preaching and...
Black History

Theatre Icon Woodie King, Jr. Passes

By Fern GillespieLegendary griot theatre producer-director Woodie King, Jr, The King of Black Theatre,...
Black History

High Horse: The Black Cowboy does what great documentaries should do…

Executive produced by Jordan Peele, this three-part docuseries reclaims the Black cowboy’s rightful place...
Black History

Million Man March: 30 Years Later

Minister Henry Muhammad Reflects 30 Year Later By Mary Alice MillerAs the 30th anniversary of...
Black History

Crossing Paths with Assata Shakur

by Segun ShabakaAssata Shakur’s passing last week was a bittersweet moment in that we...
Black History

More Than a Moment, A Movement

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as the architect of the historic August...
Black History

MLK, Jr. Center Statement on Release of FBI Files on Civil Right Leader

Each year, the nation and the world pause to remember the assassination of Rev....
Black History

Historian Dominique Jean-Louis:

Tracing Black Families Back to Slavery in Brooklyn Fern GillespieSlavery in New York City began...
Load more

Latest articles

Black History

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Occasion: Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, was asked to give an address regarding the...
Black History

Scholars Angela Y. Davis and Jelani Cobb Gift Wisdom and Inspire Intergenerational Reflections at BPL’s Kahn Humanities Event

In a milestone recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United...
City Politics

DSA/DEMS PRIMARY RESULT Central Brooklyn Flexing and Reflecting

By Nayaba ArindeEditor at Large“If we just come out to vote, like we come...
U.S. Politics

Building A Renewed and Progressive Black Body-Politic

By Roger GreenAfter reviewing the results of the June, 23 Democratic primary, an historic...