Black History

The African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS) is a scholarly organization that aims to foster dialogue about researching, writing, and teaching black thought and culture. Today AAIHS is one of the leading scholarly organizations in the United States. We support the research of scholars in the field through an array of fellowships, awards, and prizes, including the Pauli Murray Book Prize and the C.L.R. James Research Fellowships. We publish the popular blog Black Perspectives, the leading online platform for public scholarship on global Black thought, history, and culture.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

From the first footsteps of enslaved peoples on American soil to where Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged us all to rise to his "Dream," national parks preserve the places where this history happened. Plan a visit to parks that honor and preserve African American heritage, attend an event, or simply learn about the heartbeat of American history that is African American history. You can also explore the many ways that the dedicated professionals of the National Park Service work to preserve and protect these sites and aid communities outside our park boundaries.

The National Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the African American experience and highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media. Explore our records documenting African American History through the African American Research page and within the National Archives Catalog.

Our Teacher's Guide offers a collection of lessons and resources for K-12 social studies, literature, and arts classrooms that center around the achievements, perspectives, and experiences of African Americans across U.S. history. Below you will find materials for teaching and learning about the perspectives of slaves and free African Americans during the American Revolution, the work of the Freedman’s Bureau during and after Reconstruction, the artistry of Jacob Lawrence, the reality faced by African American soldiers returning home after fighting in WWI, the songs and efforts of the Freedom Riders during the long civil rights movements, and the works of Lorraine Hansberry, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Maya Angelou.

Carla D. Hayden, in full Carla Diane Hayden, (born August 10, 1952, Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.), American librarian who, in 2016, became the first woman and the first African American to serve as the Librarian of Congress. She is also known for defending library users’ privacy and for her efforts to ensure widespread access to public libraries and their resources.

NYT series featuring writers on writing and literary life interviews Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.

In this interview with the American Association of Retired Persons, Carla Hayden talks about her journey and the library's special artifacts.

Dr. Carla Hayden has experienced several “pinch me” moments of awe in her role as Librarian of Congress, such as getting to handle primary source materials from important historical figures like Rosa Parks. Nothing compares, she said, to seeing a letter written “in her hand.”

Time interviews Hayden, who ran the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore and served as deputy commissioner and chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library system, was the first African American to receive Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award in 1995.

Carla Hayden is the first woman and African American to serve as Librarian of Congress. Watch this PBS Special on Carla Hayden. Expanding user access and diversifying voices at the Library of Congress with the fourteenth Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden. Dr. Hayden is the first woman and person of color to lead the library. She was appointed to her position in 2016 under President Barack Obama.