KPL Videos: black history — Kalamazoo Public Library

Reclaiming Community — Book Discussion

Kalamazoo Public Library and Kalamazoo Youth Development Network discuss Reclaiming Community: Race and the Uncertain Future of Youth Work by Dr. Bianca Baldridge. This writing “tells the story of a…

Recorded 01/28/2021

Categories: Information; Timely Topics

Tags: black history; business; community support; teens; urban renewal

Jazz Speaks for Life: Remembering MLK and the Civil Rights Movement

The Jazz and Creative Institute will be performing big band jazz tunes composed by Black musicians during a time of great protest and change to honor the struggles and triumphs of Martin…

Recorded 01/15/2021

Categories: Entertainment; Family; Information; Instructional; Music & Concerts; Timely Topics

Tags: black history; culture; education

John Davis Presents a Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

John Davis will recite or read a Martin Luther King, Jr speech. This speech will be more current with today’s social environment. This speech will be for the whole family.…

Recorded 01/14/2021

Categories: Children; Family; Information; Teen; Timely Topics

Tags: black history; culture; education; history

Meet the Author: Dr. Louis Moore - Civil Rights and the Black Athlete.

Grand Valley State University professor, author, and podcaster Dr. Louis Moore discusses the stories and ideas behind his book, WE WILL WIN THE DAY: THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, THE BLACK…

Recorded 11/19/2020

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Family; Timely Topics

Tags: author; black history; culture; education; history

Celebration of the Life & Legacy of Alma Harrod Powell

In 1978, 11 years after the passing of Alma H. Powell, staff and friends of the Alma Powell Branch designated a week in June to be known as “Alma Harrod…

Recorded 07/22/2019

Categories: Archival Films & Video; Kalamazoo History

Tags: black history; kalamazoo

The Page Fence Giants

Author Mitch Lutzke The Page Fence Giants, an all-star black baseball club sponsored by a woven-wire fence company in Adrian, Michigan, graced the diamond in the 1890s. Formed through a…

Recorded 02/06/2019

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; black history; history; michigan

A presentation and discussion about the history of redlining, racially restrictive covenants, and segregation in Kalamazoo. Learn how the federal government and the city of Kalamazoo successfully financed white homeownership…

Recorded 10/02/2018

Categories: Kalamazoo History; Timely Topics

Tags: black history; history; kalamazoo; segregation; urban renewal

Classified: Who in the World is Merze Tate?

Kalamazoo author and publisher Sonya Bernard-Hollins discusses her latest book about Merze Tate (1905-1996), grandchild of the first Negro settlers in Mecosta County, and a graduate of Western State Teacher’s…

Recorded 04/09/2018

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; black history; history; michigan

Kalamazoo’s Colored School (1861-1871)

Among the many mysteries in Kalamazoo’s history was the existence of a separate school for the community’s African-American children, located on North Street between 1861 and 1871. Lynn Houghton, Regional…

Recorded 02/27/2018

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Kalamazoo History; Timely Topics

Tags: author; black history; education; history; kalamazoo; segregation

Voice Snatchers

In honor of Black History Month, Kalamazoo author Lonna Hardin discussed the history of songs using “code language” to lead thousands to freedom on the Underground Railroad. During the program…

Recorded 02/19/2018

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Timely Topics

Tags: author; black history; underground railroad

"Benjamin Losford and His Handy Dandy Clippers"

Author and self-publisher Sonya Hollins co-wrote with her husband Sean (and illustrated by Kenjji), a children’s book about an African American barber, “Benjamin Losford and His Handy Dandy Clippers.” As…

Recorded 02/09/2016

Categories: Authors @ KPL

Tags: author; black history; children; culture; education

African American Newspapers in Genealogical Research

Family historian and lecturer Tim Pinnick, whose 25 years experience includes work in all the major U.S. repositories, explains how to find and effectively use African American newspapers in genealogical…

Recorded 05/06/2012

Categories: Information; Instructional; Michigan History

Tags: black history; education; genealogy; history

African American Quilts

Quilters Bette Boulding and Vicki Fischer talk about who and what inspires their quilting designs, and share their techniques at Oshtemo Branch Library, March 24, 2012.

Recorded 03/24/2012

Categories: Information; Michigan History; Timely Topics

Tags: art; black history; culture

Black History, Local Voices

A series of interviews by the Kalamazoo Gazette for Black History Month 2008 (7 videos).

Recorded 02/06/2008

Categories: Kalamazoo History

Tags: black history; culture; history; kalamazoo

Early Kalamazoo: Southern Roots in the Urban North

“Southern Roots in the Urban North” (1987) – Dr. Ben Wilson describes the migration of southern blacks to Michigan during the early part of the 20th century. These programs were…

Recorded 01/01/1987

Categories: Archival Films & Video; Kalamazoo History; Michigan History

Tags: black history; culture; history; kalamazoo

Early Kalamazoo: Michigan's Underground Railroad

“Michigan’s Underground Railroad” (1987) – Local historian Mary Jane Swartz tours the underground railroad house in Schoolcraft, and tells how its occupants helped escaping slaves. These programs were made possible…

Recorded 01/01/1987

Categories: Archival Films & Video; Kalamazoo History; Michigan History

Tags: black history; culture; kalamazoo; michigan; underground railroad

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NOTICE: A construction project to improve the Oshtemo Branch Library Parking Lot will begin on Monday, 10/10/22. Please follow the signage directing you to available parking areas during construction.

NOTICE: Central Library will close at 4 pm on Friday, October 7, and will reopen at 5 pm for our 150th Anniversary celebration. Please note library services will NOT be available after 4 pm.

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#black history Videos