Oakland Public Library is pleased to celebrate Black History Month. The 2025 theme is African Americans and Labor. This year's theme "focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary – intersect with the collective experiences of Black people" (Association for the study of African American Life and History)
Indeed, work is at the very center of much of Black history and culture. Be it the traditional agricultural labor of enslaved Africans that fed Low Country colonies, debates among Black educators on the importance of vocational training, self-help strategies and entrepreneurship in Black communities, or organized labor’s role in fighting both economic and social injustice, Black people’s work has been transformational throughout the U.S., Africa, and the Diaspora.
Coming Up
Black Culture Fest (BCF) is coordinated by Black staff from across the OPL who represent the diversity of African/Black communities and proudly share the brilliance + strength of our heritages. We support programming for Black History Month (and beyond), while also providing opportunities for professional development, collaboration, and community-building among Black staff members.
The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) is dedicated to the discovery, preservation, interpretation, and sharing of historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and the West for present and future generations.
Blogs by OPL Staff
Staff Favorites: Black Visual Artists and Painters
The Black Arts Movement in Oakland and Berkeley
Nine Favorite African American Women Artists
Eight of my Favorite African American Painters/Artists
Staff Favorites: Black Visual Artists and Painters
The Black Arts Movement in Oakland and Berkeley
Nine Favorite African American Women Artists
Eight of my Favorite African American Painters/Artists
The Black Studies Collection is the interdisciplinary study of the culture, politics, and history of Black Americans. These resources are databases and journals on Black studies that focus on the Black experience.
AAMLO's Archives has compiled research guides on the following topics to assist new researchers with finding primary and secondary sources. They are designed to serve entry level research and for researchers preparing to visit the archives.
2024 Limited Edition Library Cards
CELEBRATING AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE ARTS IN OAKLAND
Get your own limited edition card and check out this reading list to pair with your new card!
