FDLP Resource Guides: Then and Now Experiences of Blacks and African Americans: Home

Overview

(Image sources (clockwise from upper left): NASA (ID 9265609), NGA (Access No. 1983.1.6), Smithsonian (2017.30.47), Smithsonian (NPG.82.145), NASA, and NIH (AV-8909-3462))

Learn about past and present heritages and civil rights experiences of Blacks and African Americans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an individual's response is based upon self-identification of their race and ethnicity, and may identify with more than one. This guide follows the bureau's current definition:

"Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau for the population of the United States in 2022, Blacks and African Americans (alone or in a combination) make up about 15% or 50 million people. And in the 2020 Census, "Nigerian and Ethiopian were the most reported Sub-Saharan African groups, while Jamaican and Haitian were the largest Caribbean groups."

Recognizing and Celebrating African American Heritage

Below is information about Black History Month, which happens annually in February, and the history and culture of Blacks and African Americans.

	Interagency blackhistorymonth.gov Learn more about this annual heritage month, including ways to pay tribute "to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society."
	National Endowment of the Humanities Teacher's Guide: African American History and Culture in the United States Check out this online K-12 lesson plan that includes topics on African American history, literature, poetry, and culture.
	National Museum of African American History & Culture Main page Dive into the museum's online collection of stories, digital resources, exhibitions, publications, and more.
	National Museum of African Art Main page Explore the "only national museum in the United States dedicated to the collection, exhibition, conservation, and study of the arts of Africa."
	National Park Service Black History Month Visit culturally significant places, from the Booker T. Washington National Monument to Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.
	U.S. Census Bureau National Black (African American) History Month Check out the latest and most recent articles, including from 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2022.

Related GPO Resources

GPO has information about Black and African American resources. Click on each of the tabs in this box to see some of the featured resources from the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), FDLP Academy, FDLP Resource Guides, GitHub, and GovInfo.

The CGP is a free online resource of bibliographic records for U.S. Government publications. To learn more about how to use this catalog, check out CGP Search Tips/Help.

Try basic keyword searches like African Americans and Black people
Try advanced author keyword searches like Congressional Black Caucus and White House African American

The FDLP Academy offers free webinars and webcasts for Federal Depository Libraries and the general public. Its mission is to "create and deliver enhanced educational opportunities to the FDLP community by fostering collaboration, by facilitating knowledge sharing, and through the application of new methods and use of multiple mediums" about U.S. Government resources. The following webinars contain information related to Black and African American resources.

Library of Congress Veterans History Project

Recorded on November 2, 2022
Length of Time: 56 minutes
Speakers: Kerry Ward (Library of Congress)

Office of Minority Health Resource Center: National Service for Minority Health Resources & Information

Recorded on August 2, 2022
Length of Time: 48 minutes
Speakers: Leslie Quiroz and Shannon Delaney (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

2021 FDL Conference: Addressing the Unaddressed: The Significance of Tribal and Historically Black College & University FDLs

Recorded on October 19, 2021
Length of Time: 55 minutes
Speakers: Dana R. Chandler (Tuskegee University), Cheryl Ferguson (Tuskegee University), Asteria Ndulute (Tuskegee University), Todd Scudiere (U.S. Government Publishing Office), and Celeste Welch (U.S. Government Publishing Office)

If interested in learning more about topics that related to, but not specifically about, Blacks and African Americans, check out the following FDLP Resource Guides.

GitHub has downloadable MARC records from GPO. Below are some examples of cataloging records related to Blacks and African Americans.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Subject-Based Resources
- African Americans--History--1863-1877
- Pioneers, Black
- United States--Armed Forces--African Americans
Check out this 6-minute webcast on GitHub's HBCU Subject-Based Resources, which includes slides.

GovInfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. GovInfo has a collection of publications related to Blacks and African Americans.

	Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington Learn more about this historic event, including related Federal legislation on civil and voting rights.
	Juneteenth 2024 Read related Federal government documents on the creation and recognition of this national holiday.
	Martin Luther King Jr. Day Find out the history of this national holiday.
	The National Museum of African American History and Culture Check out the legislative history on the creation of this national museum.