February is Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate Black history and culture. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History has selected a theme every year since 1928. The theme for 2025 is African Americans and Labor.
“There are so many ways to interpret the theme,” says Lana Sweeting, Black Cultural Library Advocate (BCLA) and program specialist senior. “Black people throughout the Diaspora have contributed work of all kinds in the U.S. and the world. This work includes the agricultural labor of enslaved Africans, organized labor movements, and Black businesses to name a few.”
An important counterpoint to the theme of labor is one of rest, shares Sweeting. “As we learn and comprehend how far and wide the reach of our influence is, we can all have a better understanding of both the past and future. As we do this work, I am also hoping that we can take a break from those labors and support each other and ourselves.”
Libraries will feature displays, reading recommendations and programs representing the Black community in Multnomah County. There are many ways to get involved, whether you’re looking for adult events or are bringing the family.
Event highlights include:
- Cooking programs hosted by local businesses
- A workshop on Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty
- Film screenings of Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts
- Small business and entrepreneur social gatherings
- And much more!
“This year’s Black History Month programming encompasses the wide range of Black culture representation from Soul Food at the Sunday Table to Jazz for the Whole Family,” says Jessica Reeves, BCLA team member at Hillsdale Library. “We have curated our programs to show how much we value and respect the Black community through representation.”
“I’m looking forward to a program called 450 Years of Oregon’s Black History facilitated by Oregon Black Pioneers,” shares Jem Jarrett, BCLA team member at Central Library. “We’re also getting ready for an Ask the Librarian takeover on Instagram, where several of our BCLA librarians will answer questions and recommend books. I can’t wait to connect with and uplift our community!”
Check out the booklists below for reading picks around this year’s theme, and browse our excellent Black Resources Collection for materials of all ages focused on the Black experience.
"The Black Cultural Library Advocates team is curating a robust experience for the community to celebrate and honor the Black community's contributions in creativity, innovation, labor and leadership,” says Isabel Villarreal Stewart, BCLA team member. “I am most excited about the many opportunities coming up that are focused on learning, playing and joy. There will be something for everyone, as we are centering all ages and interests.”
“We will also have a variety of Black Family Storytimes and Black Family Playtimes, which focus on celebrating African and African American heritage and culture in a positive and affirming environment,” adds Villarreal Stewart, who provides Black Family Storytimes at Gresham Library. "I am proud to read books, put out toys, share rhymes and play music that is focused on affirmations for Black children. The books I read to children are representative of the African and African American experience and are typically from the library’s own Black Resources Collection, an incredible collection of materials for all ages that cater to celebrating Black history, culture and more!”
The Black Cultural Library Advocates team offers programs and services at many libraries year-round, including North Portland Library (reopening February 8). Input from the local community led to interior colors inspired by Afrofuturism and Multnomah County Library’s first Black Cultural Center for connection and a celebration of Blackness.
Join us at the library to celebrate and honor Black History Month!
Reading lists
Black History Month 2025 - African Americans in Labor
"The 2025 Black History Month theme, African Americans, and Labor, 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. Indeed, work is at the very center of much of Black history and culture." - from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History This Black History Month, check out a book (or several!) from this list to expand your knowledge about seen and unseen labor carried out by the Black community. Organized by publication date, this list focuses on a variety of labor performed by the Black community, from agriculture to nursing, from entertainment to prison labor.
