Vise Library celebrates Black History Month: Politicians and Modern Influential People

Today we will be celebrating some politicians and modern influential people:

Shirley Chisholm: She was the first African-American congresswoman and represented New York state in the House for seven terms. She also ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972.

• Shirley Chisholm in the Vise Library: Read about Shirley and other influential women in the eBook Women of Vision, by clicking on the "links" tab on this page.

Ben O. Davis, Sr.: He was the first African-American general for the U.S. Army and earned a Bronze Star Medal and a Distinguished Service Medal. He also served as an adviser for the military on racial discrimination, pushing for the full integration of the armed forces.

• Ben Davis, Sr. in the Vise Library: Read about Ben and other African Americans in the military in the eBook African Americans in the Military by clicking on the "links" tab on this page.

Barack Obama: He is the current President of the United States of America. He became the first African American president upon winning the 2008 presidential election.

• Barack Obama in the Vise Library: Checkout the book Dreams from my Father located at    973.04 O12d

Sources Consulted:
http://www.biography.com/people/shirley-chisholm-9247015
http://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-o-davis-sr-9267726
http://www.biography.com/people/barack-obama-12782369

Vise Library celebrates Black History Month: Well-known historical figures

Today we're going to look at a few well-known historical figures. These names will likely be pretty familiar,

Martin Luther King, Jr.
He was a Baptist Minister who was one of the main figures during the Civil Rights Movement   During this time, MLK traveled over six million miles and gave over 2,500 speeches on key issues.  He lead a peaceful march of over 250,000 people in Washington D.C. where he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.  At the age of 35 he was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

• MLK in the Vise Library: Checkout the book King's Dream, located at 323.09 K52 S95.

Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, AL.  She was arrested for this and sparked a boycott by African-Americans against the Montgomery bus system.  The boycott lasted over a year and was lead by a young Martin Luther King, Jr.  Once the boycott was over, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the segregation laws were unconstitutional.  This was one of the first steps of non-violent protests during the Civil Rights Movement.   

• Rosa Parks in the Vise Library: Checkout the book At the Dark End of the Street located at 323.11 M14a

W.E.B. DuBois: He moved to Nashville from Massachusetts in 1885 to attend Fisk University.  While living in the south be was exposed to the Jim Crow laws.  He became the first African American to receive Ph.D. from Harvard University.  He played a prominent role in founding the NAACP.  DuBois wrote over 17 books challenging racism and white-black relations.

• W.E.B. DuBois in the Vise Library: Checkout the book African American Literary Theory located at 810.9 A2583

Sources consulted:
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
http://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/rosaparks/story.asp
http://www.biography.com/people/web-du-bois-9279924

Vise Library celebrates Black History Month: The History of Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and the Vise Library wants to celebrate influential African Americans this week. Each day, we're going to post about famous African Americans in different walks of life, such as politics, sports, and the arts. We'll also showcase some people that are not as well-known but still influential in their particular field. However, before we do those things, let's look at the history of Black History Month.

In 1925, Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson, who founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), announced the creation of Negro History Week. This event was celebrated during a week in February 1926 that included both Abraham Lincoln's and Fredreck Douglass' birthdays. The response to this week was tremendous, and by the time Woodson died in 1950, Negro History Week had become an integral part of African American life. The ASNLH expanded the celebration to a month in 1976, and since then, each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations. The ASNLH is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and continues to promote the study of black history all year.

To read more about Black History Month, including a more detailed look at its history, please visit http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/index.html.

Check It Out...at the Vise Library: The Song Remains the Same

Nell Slattery, one of two survivors of a cross-country plane crash, wakes up in a hospital in Iowa with no memories of the accident...or anything else. As she tries to piece her life story together with help from her family and husband, she discovers that they're altering her history in a way that doesn't give her the whole truth about who she really was before the crash. Thanks to a playlist of songs her sister made her (called "The Best of Nell Slattery"), she begins to regain memories of her life, including the things that were best left forgotten.

This book started out really promising. The concept of amnesia isn't new, but the idea of regaining memories based on hearing certain songs seems unique. However, the characters aren't easy to relate to or even like very much. I often found myself asking why I should care about what happens to the characters or what the point of the story was. The book is available for checkout at the Vise Library, so give it a try and see if you enjoy it more than I did! 

-Amber

Why Are They Banned? Banned Books Week 2012 : To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Ask Alice & Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:
Challenged or banned for offensive and racially insensitive language, racism, adult themes such as sexual intercourse, rape, and incest

From our catalog: http://library.cumberland.edu/surpass/websafari.exe/detail?sid=DE4178F2-3CF0-4495-BB31-EC3F92AB5BD0&database=database&list=R&rec=10&marc=67176

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous:
Challenged or banned for depiction of drug use, explicit language, using street terms for sex,
blasphemy, and talk of worms eating body parts
From our catalog: http://library.cumberland.edu/surpass/websafari.exe/detail?sid=DE4178F2-3CF0-4495-BB31-EC3F92AB5BD0&database=database&list=R&rec=3&marc=19017

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown:Banned because of the possibility of it being controversial. Yes, just because of the possibility.

From our catalog: http://library.cumberland.edu/surpass/websafari.exe/detail?sid=DE4178F2-3CF0-4495-BB31-EC3F92AB5BD0&database=database&list=R&rec=1&marc=15855

And there you have it, 15 books that have been banned or challenged. There are a great deal more, but we hope this inspires you to read banned books!

Why Are They Banned? Banned Books Week 2012 : Little House on the Prairie & James and the Giant Peach

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder:
Challenged or banned because for the depiction of Native American people

From our catalog:  http://library.cumberland.edu/surpass/websafari.exe/detail?sid=DE4178F2-3CF0-4495-BB31-EC3F92AB5BD0&database=database&list=R&rec=9&marc=26662

James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl:
Challenged or banned because it contains magical elements and references to drugs and alcohol

From our catalog: http://library.cumberland.edu/surpass/websafari.exe/detail?sid=DE4178F2-3CF0-4495-BB31-EC3F92AB5BD0&database=database&list=R&rec=2&marc=25393

Why Are They Banned? Banned Books Week 2012 : My Brother Same is Dead & The Golden Compass

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier:
Challenged or banned due to profanity

From our catalog:  http://library.cumberland.edu/surpass/websafari.exe/detail?sid=DE4178F2-3CF0-4495-BB31-EC3F92AB5BD0&database=database&list=R&rec=22&marc=73327

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman:
Challenged or banned because of the book’s anti-Christian doctrine, anti-religious messages, and
drug use by the main character
From our catalog: http://library.cumberland.edu/surpass/websafari.exe/detail?sid=DE4178F2-3CF0-4495-BB31-EC3F92AB5BD0&database=database&list=R&rec=2&marc=108651