Connecting you to Black history, then & now

Your public library is here with books, resources, and experiences that can help us connect and celebrate Black history and culture.

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Collage of photographs

Still photography tells its stories through captured moments in time. Stories told with power, with joy and sadness. Often, in ways that no other medium can. In its stillness, it yet moves. In its quietness, it speaks a language known throughout the world. History abounds with images archived by photographers who recorded so many precious, incredible moments. We owe a debt of gratitude to the magic of each captured moment.

From a trove of thousands of images photographed between the 1970s through the early 2000s, Howard Simmons’ exhibit Stories My Camera Tells features a selection of his favorite images of notable personalities and politicians, urban street scenes, and iconic images from photoshoots for Ebony magazine and his work in commercial photography. 

The exhibit includes both celebrated images that document significant moments in American history as well as never-before-seen photography, accompanied by Simmons’ personal stories and accounts about his trailblazing work as one of the first Black photographers for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Watch below as Howard Simmons, one of the first Black photographers for the Chicago Sun-Times, speaks with his daughter Robbin about his exhibit (video courtesy of Robbin Simmons and 1966 Films).

Related events:

Idea Box: Celebrating Local Black Artists
February 3-28, Main Library Idea Box

Throughout history, Black artists have used their creativity to inspire, challenge, and transform our world. This Black History Month, the library is celebrating and showcasing the work of three incredible artists right here in our own backyard: Tia EtuAntonia Ruppert, and Hasani Cannon

Meet the artists on Monday, February 3, 6:30-8 pm. See their artwork inside the Idea Box during open hours:

  • Wednesday, February 5, 1-4 pm
  • Sunday, February 9, 12-3 pm
  • Wednesday, February 12, 1-4 pm
  • Thursday, February 13, 1-4 pm
  • Tuesday, February 18, 1-3 pm 
  • Tuesday, February 25, 1-4 pm

Attend upcoming events

Artist Talk: Howard Simmons in Conversation With Lee Bey
Sunday, February 16, 2-3 pm, Main Library

Join us for a conversation between Howard Simmons, one of the first Black photographers for the Chicago Sun-Times, and author and architecture critic Lee Bey. 

Plus, see the Art Exhibit: Stories My Camera Tells by Howard Simmons on display in the Main Library Gallery through February 22. The exhibit features a selection of Simmons' favorite images of notable personalities and politicians, urban street scenes, and iconic images from photoshoots for Ebony magazine and his work in commercial photography.

Black Movie History in Chicago: Cinematic Milestones & Sacred Grounds
Thursday, February 20, 7 pm, Main Library

Explore Black film history in Chicago through select movies and sites that connect them. The first half of this program considers Something Good—Negro Kiss, a silent film that depicts what is believed to be the first onscreen kiss by an African American couple. The movie has deep roots in a nineteenth-century Chicago studio, the remnants of which you'll get to visit via HD video.

Chicago's cinematic legacy extends beyond the studio, of course. You'll also learn about Burr Oak Cemetery and its significance to Black history here in Chicago and beyond. And again, through HD video, you'll get to explore the cemetery's hallowed grounds, as you hear about the groundbreaking films Cooley High (1975) and Boyz n the Hood (1991).

Community Quilt Creation (grades preK-5)
Wednesday, February 26, 3:30 pm, Main Library

Let's work together to create a quilt that represents the families of Oak Park! We will share books about the history of quilting as guide, story, and family in the Black community and draw our own squares. Kids can help piece their square to the quilt. Sewing knowledge is not needed. Fabric and other materials will be supplied. Best for preschool and elementary-aged kids with a caregiver.

Film Screening & Discussion: Farming While Black
Thursday, February 27, 7 pm, Main Library

Join us for an exclusive screening and discussion of Farming While Black, a feature-length documentary film that examines the historical plight of Black farmers in the United States and the rising generation reclaiming their rightful ownership to land and reconnecting with their ancestral roots.

As the co-founder of Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York, Leah Penniman finds strength in the deep historical knowledge of African agrarianism—agricultural practices that can heal people and the planet. Influenced and inspired by Karen Washington, a pioneer in urban community gardens in New York City, and fellow farmer and organizer Blain Snipstal, Leah galvanizes around farming as the basis of revolutionary justice.

In 1910, Black farmers owned 14 percent of all American farmland. Over the intervening decades, that number fell below 2 percent, the result of racism, discrimination, and dispossession. The film chronicles Penniman and two other Black farmers’ efforts to reclaim their agricultural heritage. Collectively, their work has a major impact, as each is a leader in sustainable agriculture and food justice movements.

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