A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

Teresa Letizia

Connect with Black heritage year-round: reading lists, DVDs, YouTube videos, Black Life in America e-database

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The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, founded in 1915, assigns a theme each February for the observance of Black History Month. In 2024 the theme on which the Association is focusing is African Americans and the Arts. The intention, as ASALH writes, is not to “limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis.” We encourage you to visit the Association’s website and learn more about this year’s theme and previous ones. You may also wish to participate in its month-long 2024 Black History Month Virtual Festival.

Events and programming are also available at these sites, the Library of Congress at https://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov, and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) at https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-showcases-rich-collection-of-stories-to-celebrate-black-history-month/.

In recognition of Black History Month here at Smiley Library, peruse our most recent acquisitions featuring Black history and cultural themes, and Black authors, with which to continue to remember, honor, celebrate, and inspire. Look for books on display in the Library near the Circulation Desk. As always, ask a librarian for help finding anything.

(Reposted from 2020-22)

New Books – Fiction

Harlem Shuffle / Whitehead, Colson
Skye Falling : a Novel  / McKenzie, Mia
Palmares / Jones, Gayl
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted : a Novel / Allen, Jayne
In Every Mirror She’s Black / Akinmade-Akerström, Lola
The Sweetness of Water / Harris, Nathan, Sgt.
The Year We Learned to Fly / Woodson, Jacqueline (Young Readers) – coming soon
Filthy Animals / Taylor, Brandon (Brandon L. G.)
While We Were Dating / Guillory, Jasmine
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New Books – Nonfiction

Call Us What We Carry : Poems / Gorman, Amanda
The Disordered Cosmos : a Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred / Prescod-Weinstein, Chanda
The Essential June Jordan / Jordan, June
Letters to My White Male Friends / Ross, Dax-Devlon
Dear Black Girl : Letters from Your Sisters on Stepping into Your Power / Winfrey Harris, Tamara
Hip Hop (and Other Things) : a Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated / Serrano, Shea
Colorization : One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World / Haygood, Wil
The Black History Book / Blyden, Nemata Amelia
Such Color : New and Selected Poems / Smith, Tracy K.
The Matter of Black Lives : Writing from The New Yorker / Cobb, Jelani
Changes : an Oral History of Tupac Shakur / Pearce, Sheldon
King of the Blues : the Rise and Reign of B.B. King / De Visé, Daniel
Dear Senthuran : a Black Spirit Memoir / Emezi, Akwaeke
Toni Morrison’s Spiritual Vision : Faith, Folktales, and Feminism in her Life and Literature / Nittle, Nadra
Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat : Poems / Rae, Khalisa
Unprotected : a Memoir / Porter, Billy
On Juneteenth / Gordon-Reed, Annette
The 1619 Project : a New Origin Story / Hannah-Jones, Nikole
My Remarkable Journey : a Memoir / Johnson, Katherine G.

2020 – 2021

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a son of formerly enslaved parents, embarked on the establishment of February as Black History Month. He was a teacher and school administrator who in 1912 became the second African American, after W.E.B. Du Bois, to earn a PhD from Harvard University. In February 1926 he launched the precursor of the celebration with “Negro History Week,” designated for the second week in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Dr. Woodson also founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Each year the Association, which continues to support Dr. Woodson’s cause, assigns a theme to the celebration. The theme for 2021 is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity” — ideas to ponder as we read.

Please refer to previous blog post Celebrating Black Authors and Black Lives for additional titles. Take a look too at our extensive Catalog for older items on the subject, as well as those for children and young adults. Check them out through our Books to Go program or in person during our new public hours.

Also, don’t forget our eLibrary which includes, besides e-items for download, the new Black Life in America database. This primary source collection provides materials in which you may research the experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media, from 1704 to today. It is an expansive window into centuries of African American history, culture, and daily life — as well as the ways the dominant culture has portrayed and perceived people of African descent.

Streaming video service Kanopy, also located in our eLibrary, features films about racial and social injustice. Inspiring documentaries, like “The Talk: Race in America,” “P.S. I Can’t Breathe,” and many others, can help contribute to a more open dialogue about race relations in modern America.

And finally, for even more ways in which to learn about Black history, view the Heritage Room’s Black History Month webinar series. available for viewing at the AKSPL Special Collections YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx1V0OiVDDpGORavA_W6icQ,  or on Facebook under the Video tab.

The offerings include:

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Centennial Anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

The Tulsa race massacre took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of White residents, many of them deputized and given weapons by city officials, attacked Black residents and destroyed homes and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is alternatively known as the “Tulsa race riot” or the “Black Wall Street massacre.”

See also, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission website, https://www.tulsa2021.org/, and find our books on the subject here:

Juneteenth, on June 19

Juneteenth (a combination of June and nineteenth) is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day. It is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it is now celebrated annually throughout the United States, with increasing official recognition resulting in its declaration as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. It is commemorated on the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865 announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom from slavery in Texas.

For more information check out our Blog post, Juneteenth, the celebration of emancipation from slavery, now recognized as a federal holiday, and find our books on the subject here:

Visit the University of Redlands website to learn about its Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration, which took place virtually from June 15 through June 17, 2021.
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2020 – 2021

Autobiographies, Biographies, and Memoirs

Cookbooks

DVDs

DVD Documentaries

Fiction

Graphic Novels

History

Humor

Literature

Music

Poetry

Politics, Civil Rights, Law

Sciences, Philosophy, Journalism, Language, Mathematics, Technology, Performing Arts

Social Sciences

Sports

Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. – learn more about his life and work

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In remembrance and celebration of the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968, why not read more about him? A.K. Smiley Public Library offers a variety of books, audio books, and e-books for children, teens, and adults on Dr. King.

An American Baptist minister, activist, and political philosopher, Dr. King was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 at the age of 39. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and nonviolent civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination in the United States.

In 1983, Congress made the birthday of Dr. King a federal holiday, and in 1994, declared it a National Day of Service. For more information, visit MLKday.gov.

Look for these items–and more–on display in the Library (which are available to check-out), or follow the link to our catalog to learn more about it and to place it on hold.

The sword and the shield: the revolutionary lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. / Joseph, Peniel E.
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Biography / Autobiography
King: a life / Eig, Jonathan, 2023
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The autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. / King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1998
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The seminarian: Martin Luther King, Jr. comes of age / Parr, Patrick, 2018
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O Christmas tree!–and all our trees–you are so very lovely!

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We didn’t always put up our Christmas trees as early as the day after Thanksgiving (or before!) Decades ago, our forefathers brought in trees they cut, possibly from the open hills surrounding them, on Christmas Eve. Before electric lights, they may have placed candles on the trees to illuminate the long, dark night.

The celebration of Christmas, and the feature of the tree as a symbol, is not solely a Christian observance; parts of its history we can trace back 4,000 years to the cradle of civilization, its roots in a festival of renewal in ancient Mesopotamia and in Roman revels. The origin of the tradition of bringing a Christmas tree into our homes is rather a ‘history-mystery’ fed by countless legends. But one of the first concrete examples to which we can refer is a 16th century law in Alsace which determined the size allowed per citizen for this Christmas foliage. (source: 4000 Years of Christmas)

Whatever the origin or tradition from which the tree comes, it’s a beautiful one that seems to symbolize, at least to this observer, the peace and hope that the Christmas holiday has come to espouse. This is largely due to the constancy of the tree itself, a caretaker, who, putting down unshakeable roots, offers fruits, shade, an alluring aroma, and even the air we breathe, standing silent and strong, reliable.

Of course, it is not just the fir or pine tree species who steadfastly offers us these gifts, but all variety of these lovely creations. Let’s celebrate the trees by showcasing a few books new to Smiley Library that pay homage to them, the books themselves cherished offerings of the trees.

Many tree species that have populated the Earth for ages offer us the gift of wisdom, if we look closely enough. We see that California’s redwoods evolved needle-like leaves capable of absorbing fog, which spares the trees from having to transport water 350 or so feet from their roots to their uppermost branches. This fact and others are revealed in In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey Among Ancient Trees, in which author Anthony Fredericks takes the reader along on his travels to document ten of the oldest living species on Earth. He ruminates with educated imagery on those humans who may have lived among them tens of thousands of years ago. Fredericks also shares his interviews with scientists, and provides the specifics of dendrology, the study of woody plants, and its classifications.

Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees) continues this celebration of our aged friends in The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us If We Let Them. He shows us too, like Fredericks, that the old trees adapt to climate change by passing their wisdom through generations, and that this knowledge can ensure our future–if we are able to protect the ancient forests. Forester Wohlleben offers a pointed critique of harmful forestry practices that have wreaked havoc on the ecosystems, the animal and insect populations local to the forests, and urges humans to allow trees to heal themselves.

Other new books include Trees, a definition guide to over 500 species of trees from around the world. Botanist Allen Coombes explains what a tree is, how they are classified, and how to keep a record of the trees you have seen. Included are over 1,000 full-color photographs.

If you read Spanish, or know someone who does, new to our International Language Collection is a Spanish-language text featuring trees, or ‘árboles,’ El Dios del Jardín: Reflexiones Sobre la Cración, la Cultura y el Reino. Author Andrew Peterson shares his own story, “walking through a forest of memories,” by tying in the relevance of trees and nature in the Christian tradition. He builds a strong biblical connection between people and trees in his attempt to inspire the reader to see God working through nature.

You won’t want to miss The Tree and the River, a children’s picture book which, without a word, paints a poignant time-lapse portrait of humankind, and its impact on the natural world. Author/artist Aaron Becker uses as its center the life cycle of a tree on the banks of winding river. The tree grows from its youth into its ancient age, bearing silent witness to the flow of time and change and the dynamic effects, each on the other, between nature and man, between us and our beloved trees.

Books, periodicals for all ages in honor of Native American Heritage Month 2023

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Celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November with some of the Smiley Library titles listed here. As a reminder, there is no charge to place a book on hold. Just browse below and click on titles in which you are interested!

970 Native American Heritage Month Stock Photos, Pictures ...In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens. The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.

The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. In 2021 the United States designated the federal holiday of Columbus Day to also be observed as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994. (source: NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.gov)

Of Local Interest

  • Ramona, by Helen Hunt Jackson. Published in 1884, it features a Scottish-Native American orphan girl, and takes place in Southern California. The Ramona Pageant, which still takes place in Hemet, California, is derived from this character.)
  • The hunt for Willie Boy : Indian-hating and popular culture, by Redlands historians James A. Sandos and Larry E. Burgess. A scholarly and ethno-historical examination of an actual incident which took place in Southern California in 1909, and which was the focus of 1960 novel Willie Boy & the last western manhunt and its 1969 film adaptation, “Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here.” The authors provide compelling research to correct the facts, and to vindicate the Paiute-Chemehuevi Indian called ‘Willie Boy.’

New Fiction

New Non-Fiction

New Biography

Heritage Room items (available by appointment for use in the Heritage Room)

Did you know that the Library’s Special Collections department, the Heritage Room, holds a Carnegie Indian Collection? It began in 1910 with a gift from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to honor his friend Albert K. Smiley. It includes rare and selected volumes primarily on the Native American tribes of California and the Southwest.

Recently added to the Heritage Room’s Non-Fiction Indian collection is a publication which features the Smiley brothers’ work as Quakers, and that of others, in attempts to achieve Native American justice:

Albert K. Smiley served as a commissioner on the Board of Indian Commissioners from 1879 to 1912, the year he died. He founded the Mohonk Indian Conference in 1894 and nominated the presiding officers each year after that until 1912.

Heritage Room periodicals, books

Young Readers’ Room (YRR)

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Older Fiction and Non-Fiction

Young Readers’ Room

Young Adult (located in our Teen Underground area on the lower level)

Beloved teachers, our guides to thinking for ourselves

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Walking through the Redlands Bowl amphitheater today I read the inscription engraved over the stage, “Without vision, a people perish.” I pondered the meaning of the biblical verse. Does it mean that failing to examine ourselves, our culture, and the possibilities of our future, will lead to our downfall? Hm, too bad we can’t ‘phone a friend’ from ancient Rome…

Oh, I thought, in a sense, we can do just that—by crossing the street to Smiley Library. We can probably find some ancient Roman writings, or some historical analyses of ancient Rome right inside that building. If we study with these tools, we can learn from our ancient friends. Libraries are tool shops of critical-thinking implements for the self-examination that we need to survive. “Critical thinking” is defined as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.” With such discipline, we can teach ourselves and create that needed “vision.”

Of course, our society relies heavily on professional teachers who take on that burden of creating critical thinkers of us. As most are preparing now or have already begun teaching school for the 2023-24 year, we really must honor them, (thank you, teachers!) for it is an unenviable task, and a gift, to be able to pull out of each of us individuals our own unique vision and voice.

To gain some insight into what these heroes go through, we return to the library for a tool of learning. New to Smiley Library is, The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession, a new bestseller by investigative journalist and substitute teacher Alexandra Robbins. She provides detailed accounts of the lives of three teachers working in various regions of the country over a period of a school year. Robbins describes everything from the challenges they encounter in their work to how that work encroaches on their personal lives (as well as busting the myth that teachers laze around all summer). She sprinkles in interviews with additional teachers nationwide who share their challenges and wins. Robbins also provides essays on many of the big issues facing the profession today, everything from “school violence to outrageous parent behavior to inadequate support, staffing, and resources.”

You know, whether we are studying for ourselves in the library, or presiding over a classroom of students, we, each of us, is a teacher. Not all may be cut out to be a professional one, but all of us are teachers. It may be as simple as your new co-worker asking you how to complete a task, or a tourist on the street asking if you know how to get to the best sandwich place in town. You think on your feet, put yourself in their place, and try to lay out the path for them.

One group who does this type of teaching, as well as a more formal kind, are parents, and others in the village who help raise our children. We have a book for them too, Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent’s Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age. Curriculum developer and longtime homeschooling parent Julie Bogart provides methods in this guide for “objectively evaluating data, learning investigative skills by making room for dissenting points of view, examining one’s own prejudices and biases, and understanding how bias plays into opinion making.” And she makes it fun with stories and activities for students of all ages.

Finally, Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed my Life is a feel-good and inspiring little book by ABC News journalist Deborah Roberts who curates a collection of essays and musings from celebrity friends and colleagues that share “how teachers changed them, imparted life lessons, and helped them get to where they are today.” Roberts has made a donation to DonorsChoose.org, a non-profit that encourages people to empower public school teachers by funding their classroom resources.