Academic Resources
Georgetown University Library’s Guide to Research: These pages offer a host of research ideas and guides, such as online resources and key handbooks, dictionaries, and other reference books pertaining to African American Studies. As you begin your research, be sure to check out the following pages!
African American Biographical Database
- This is a searchable online database that offers information on musicians, authors, and other important African American figures.
- “The African American Odyssey showcases African American collections from the Library of Congress. The exhibition tells the story of the African American experience through nine chronological periods. Over 240 items document the courage and determination of blacks faced with adverse circumstances, who overcame immense odds to fully participate in all aspects of American society. The exhibit includes the work of abolitionists and the long post-Civil War journey toward equality in employment, education and politics. The exhibition details strategies used to secure the vote, recognizes outstanding black leaders, and documents the contributions of black sports figures, soldiers, artists, actors, writers, and others in the fight against segregation and discrimination.” (Citation)
African American-Related Research
- “Under the auspices of UNESCO, this project is one of the first international efforts to document, preserve, and digitize original archival materials and finding aids of the international trade in slaves during the 18th and 19th centuries.” (Citation)
American Slave Narratives: An Online Anthology
- This anthology serves as an online collection of firsthand slave narratives collected between 1936-1938 by the Works Progress Administration.
American Women’s History: A Research Guide: African American Women
- This research guide provides an extensive selection of sources, many of them primary, related to African American History. Included in this collection are numerous sources related to African American women.
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
- Advancing the work and legacy of Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History Month,” the Association seeks to broaden the understanding of African American experiences beyond Black History Month and the limiting borders of the United States.
Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition
- “The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, a part of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale, is dedicated to the investigation and dissemination of knowledge concerning all aspects of chattel slavery and its destruction.” (Citation)
Hip Hop Archive and Research Institute (http://hiphoparchive.org/ is currently unavailable)
- “The Archive works to facilitate and encourage the pursuit of knowledge, art, culture and responsible leadership through Hiphop.” (Citation)
- This guide provides a thorough history of HBCUs, providing a powerful backdrop to showcase the phenomenal opportunities they offer students today while also debunking eight common myths surrounding HBCUs, including the facts about enrollment rates, quality of education, and the cost of attending a HBCU.
- “The Institute on Race & Poverty investigates the ways that policies and practices disproportionately affect people of color and the disadvantaged.” (Citation)
International Index to Black Periodicals
The IIBP contains content from more than 150 international scholarly and popular periodicals in Black studies, including art, cultural criticism, economics, education, health, history, language and literature, law, philosophy, politics, religion, and sociology.
Life After Death: Malcolm X and American Culture
- This project offers a free online seminar that presents a broader understanding of how Malcolm X’s image and legacy has been defined and shaped by American culture following his 1965 assassination.
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
- Located at Howard University, the research center offers one of the most extensive collections of work anywhere in the world probing African American history and culture.
National Council for Black Studies
- The council advocates for and is devoted to highlighting the importance of Black Studies in education.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
- “The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become charter members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution” (Citation)
- “The purpose of the site is to introduce students and the general public to a few of the most dynamic social justice organizations in New York City.” (Citation)
- The society works to initiate, sponsor, and encourage critical dialogue, scholarly publications, and projects devoted to the study of the works of Toni Morrison.” (Citation)
Black Facts Now! This is an online searchable database of Black History Facts. This database allows you to:
- Look up Black History Facts for every day of the year
- Perform full text searches for Black History Facts
- Find out what happened in Black History today
- Find out what famous Black people were born on your birthday
- Help you research papers and articles
- Help educate yourself and your children on Black History
Why You Should Major in African American Studies
- An African American Studies Major Guide by BestColleges