Black History Month kicks off this week's round-up of blog posts on black books and ends with an extra tidbit on the 1949 movie Pinky. In the middle, readers may consider how to donate books to Haiti.
1.) New Jersey professor Kim Pearson, while not speaking specifically of books, gives great resources for Black History Month and lets readers know periodicals such as the Journal of African American History founded by Carter G. Woodson are still in print. In addition, she gives compelling reasons for why black history still matters.
Woodson (December 19, 1875 - April 3, 1950) was the first African-American to receive a doctorate in history from Harvard University and is considered the "Father of African-American History." He wrote the classic The Mis-Education of the Negro.
2.) A high school librarian at Crazy Quilts shares her Sunday Reads, saying:
This past week, PaperTigers kicked off their Spirit of PaperTigers Project which promotes literacy by putting multicultural books into the hands of children all over the globe. Of particular interest this year, is the need for books in Haiti. (Read more)
3.) At Carol's Notebook, the blogger reviews a children's book, The Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton. Hamilton, who died in 2002, was a highly-honored children's book author in her lifetime. The American Library Association recently announced a new award in Hamilton's name to celebrate her legacy.
4.) Writing at her own blog, My Brown Baby, novelist Denene Millner shares an essay she previously wrote for Eisa Nefertari Ulen, author of the novel Crystelle Mourning. The title of Millner's piece is "I am a Black Writer" in which she ruminates over the hardships of being a struggling author. However, she says her writing career is going well now.
5.) The Unread Rat focuses on horror fiction and tries in this post to match that focus to the 2010 African-American Read-In. The blogger recommends readers find at least one horror novel written by an African-American author this month. The African-American Books Examiner suggests readers consider black vampires. In addition, Buzz Multimedia provides a list of black science fiction and horror authors.
A Little Extra
WSATA looks at the 1949 movie Pinky about a light-skinned black woman passing for white who returns home to her black grandmother in the south. The movie is based on a book by a white author, however. Nevertheless, it's possibly the first movie to broach the topic of "interracial" romance.
Finally, in light of the title of Carter G. Woodson's classic book, The Mis-Education of the Negro, it's appropriate to ask "Is Negro the New "N" Word?"
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