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Black History Month, which had its origins in Chicago during the summer of 1915, According to the Black History Month  founding organization, Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, “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.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday since 1983, honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader whose most well-known areas of advocacy include civil rights and racial equality, voting rights, nonviolent resistance, economic justice, fair housing, and opposition to militarism and poverty. We have numerous books about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Click “read more” to see the list of titles we have available in our adult collection. If you would like books from the children’s collection, we encourage you to visit our Youth and Family Services department to find titles suitable for your child’s reading ability. 

Native American Heritage Month, which occurs every November, celebrates the traditions, languages and stories of Native American and indigenous communities around the United States. Celebrate by reading books featuring indigenous voices. Don't forget to check out our Native-American Heritage Month display!

LGBT+ History Month is an annual celebration of the lives and achievements of LGBTQIA+ people of the past. LGBT History Month was first celebrated in 1994. LGBT History Month was first proposed by Rodney Wilson, the first out Missouri Public School teacher. Wilson's rationale behind selecting October as LGBT History Month was to honor National Coming Out Day (October 11) which was first celebrated in 1988 as well as the 1979 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. LGBTQ History Month was declared a national history month by President Barack Obama in 2009. Click "Read More" to see a list of historical fiction, historical fantasy, biographical fiction, nonfiction, biographies, and memoirs related to LGBTQIA+ history.

Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. In this post, we will list both library events and local events that were brought to our attention. Additionally, there are recommendations for fiction authors, graphic novels, memoirs, nonfiction, and graphic nonfiction related to Hispanic and Latin-American history and culture.

The library will be closed on Thursday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. According to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, “on June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth, or Freedom Day.” Juneteenth became federally recognized in June of 2021.

Happy Pride Month to all of our LGBTQIA+ patrons! Click "Read More" for recommendations of fiction, nonfiction, memoirs and documentaries showcasing queer voices. There is also information on BCPL celebrations and other local Pride events.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to a time to raise awareness, reduce the stigma around mental illness, and remind ourselves that no one has to face mental health challenges and suffer alone. Click "Read more" for a list of Dewey numbers for common topics in mental health, some of the memoirs in our collection pertaining to mental health struggles, and resources that provide information.

Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States and their descendants. AAPI Heritage Month acknowledges their contributions in our society and influence on our culture. Click Read More to see a list of some authors of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry in our fiction collection as well as a sampling of nonfiction and memoirs featuring Asian and Pacific Islander voices and culture.