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A discussion group highlighting Black literary works with the Art Tatum African American Resource Center.
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"In I’ll Make Me a World, acclaimed Harvard scholar Jarvis R. Givens takes us on a personal and political journey through the 100-year history of Black History Month—from its radical beginnings in 1926 as “Negro History Week” to its role today as a celebration and flashpoint in America’s cultural battles. Drawing on archival research, personal stories involving family and students, and especially the wisdom of Black educators, Givens recovers the legacy of Carter G. Woodson and many others who envisioned Black history as a liberatory force—knowledge that shapes who we are, how we resist, and what we dream.
With striking clarity, Givens challenges today’s myopic commemorations of iconic figures and urges us to expand our understanding of Black history to include the everyday lives of ordinary people—the “workadays” whose stories have long gone untold but form critical parts of Black history. Indeed, people who played important roles in passing on Black memories that helped disrupt oppressively narrow perspectives on human life. Givens also attends to the labor involved in preserving Black history, especially in intellectual environments where it is constantly denigrated and undervalued, and he insists that more transparency about such processes is necessary to ensure this worthy tradition is passed on to future generations."
A part of the library since 1989, the Art Tatum African American Resource Center is a dedicated space to provide educational and historical information on African American cultural heritage and experiences. Through books, other materials, public programs, and art exhibits, the Resource Center recognizes and celebrates the lived experiences of African Americans.
The Resource Center is named in honor of American jazz great Art Tatum (1909-1956) who grew up in Toledo's Roosevelt neighborhood.
