When Leadership Falls Short: The Crisis of Care in Library Work
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Commemorating Black History Month with TIE and Choice Content
Book reviews, resource lists, podcast episodes, and more that celebrate Black history.
Posted on February 10, 2026 in Blog Posts
Commemorating Black History Month
To commemorate Black History Month, the Toward Inclusive Excellence team gathered TIE and Choice resources that center Black literature, activism, and history. Choice, the publisher of TIE and a publishing unit at the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, provides book reviews to help librarians identify academic sources and professional development tools like webinars, podcasts, and white papers.
Established by historian and “Father of Black History” Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month originated as a celebratory week in February 1926 selected in honor of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays. Fifty years later the event expanded into a month, intended to acknowledge the achievements and contributions of Black Americans. Make sure to revisit this page throughout February for updated content. We hope these resources support your study of Black history this month and throughout the year.
Featured Reviews
Featured Reviews consider how a title exposes racist systems and inequities or proposes means of dismantling them. These important works from valuable perspectives are of use to undergraduates, faculty, and anyone interested in learning more about racism and racial inequalities. Selections include books such as The Internal Colony, Freedom Church of the Poor, and Prophetic Leadership and Visionary Hope.
Mistaken Identity?: A Family Memoir by Martha S. Jones Explores the Boundaries of Race and Belonging in America
What can a family story teach readers about the history of the United States? The answer is quite a lot, if the family belongs to award-winning historian Martha S. Jones (Johns Hopkins Univ.). Those fortunate enough to read The Trouble of Color will follow Jones’s quest to answer the question she was confronted with in 1976, “Who do you think you are?” (p. 1) by the leader of the Black Student Union at college. That question is the title of the introduction to her memoir, an American family memoir, as the history of her family chronicled some of the most important and troubling aspects of American history, a history that some now seek to hide once again. Jones explains that “approaching the [color] line, I am tethered to the generations before me by ambiguous and even unspoken beginnings—expressed in skin too light, features too fine, hair too limp. I am the heir of misunderstandings, misapprehension, and mistaken identity” (p. 25). At a time when important parts of American history are being removed from government websites, books like The Trouble of Color become even more crucial than in previous years. Read the review of The Trouble of Color.
The Colony at Home: How Decolonization Abroad Shaped Black Politics in Postwar America
What is the Black American relationship to the American body politic? That is the question that implicitly motivates Sam Klug’s fine, densely packed, and crisply argued book, The Internal Colony. Slavery and Jim Crow defined the Black relationship to both whiteness and to the United States for most of the history of the country (and well before), and while those relationships are necessary elements for understanding Black self-conceptions of their relationship to the country in the second half of the twentieth century, they do not explain the full picture on their own. Read the review of The Internal Colony.
The Personal Is Historical: Slate’s Memoir Brothers Underscores Race, Loss, and Family
Nico Slate’s Brothers is a memoir of loss. Like many other memoirs of this genre, this volume is a deeply personal account of grief and absence. The loss of Nico’s brother Peter Slate has become one of the defining events in his life. What makes this volume evocative and unique is its authorship—Brothers is written by a well-respected historian rather than a fiction writer, essayist, or journalist. This mid-career pivot for a historian is both unusual and precarious; while Slate (Carnegie Mellon Univ.) has made the history of social movements (many of which center on concepts of race) the lynchpin that holds his body of work together, this highly personal account, which positions himself and Peter at the center of the narrative, is a highly unusual choice for a professional historian. Slate reflects on what has become a trend of the twenty-first century: historians acknowledging that the personal is historical and that the self—in this case, his relationship with his brother—is a subject worthy of study. The author works as a historian throughout this book, uncovering new sources of primary source materials, including interviews with friends, data on broken computers, suitcases full of rap lyrics and musings, and countless photos. Like other historical works, it includes a chronology and a list of references and further readings. Read the review of Brothers.
The Poor People’s Campaign Reassessed: How MLK Merged Political Strategy with Theological Ethics
In Freedom Church of the Poor, Colleen Wessel-McCoy (Earlham School of Religion) demonstrates how the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. focused attention on the interrelated issues of racism, materialism, and militarism in his Poor People’s Campaign. Although his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech (1963) galvanized the American public to address the problem of segregation, King broadly understood civil rights to be only one step on the path to achieving the greater goal of widespread human rights. Consequently, despite the advances won by the Civil Rights Movement, racial disparities in the United States persist—Black Americans are still disproportionately economically disadvantaged compared to their peers in other racial groups, and they lack access to equitable educational opportunities, both of which partially contribute to significantly higher rates of incarceration in their community. More to the point, the myopic view of King which focuses solely on his fight for civil rights ignores his realization—expressed in two addresses: “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” delivered in 1967 at New York City’s Riverside Church, and “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution,” delivered a year later at Washington National Cathedral—that universal human rights need to be addressed to create significant social advancement. Together, these sermons combine theology with a political vision, which culminated in his Poor People’s Campaign. Read the review of Freedom Church of the Poor.
Eyes on the Future: Juan Williams Chronicles the New Frontlines of America’s Civil Rights Struggle
Juan Williams, a Panamanian American journalist and political analyst known for his candid opinions on race and culture at outlets like The Washington Post and Fox News, has written a groundbreaking history of what he terms the “Second Civil Rights Movement” in the United States. Williams first gained national prominence for his best-selling volume Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965 (CH, Jan’88), which accompanied the Emmy Award–winning documentary series of the same name that aired on PBS. His other books include Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary (CH, Sep’99, 37-0622) and What the Hell Do You Have to Lose?: Trump’s War on Civil Rights (2018). Read the review of New Prize for These Eyes.
Cornel West in Review: Leading Scholars Reconsider his Theories on Race
Barack Obama’s election to the White House in 2008 gave rise to a faint glimmer of hope in some quarters that the United States, at last, had begun to evolve into a post-racial society. The backdrop to this sentiment was the nation’s long history of white supremacy and racism against people of color (POC), which need not be rehashed here as countless scholars have explored this topic already. Cornel West is among those contemporary scholars who have engaged these issues by critiquing society, beginning with its very racial and social architecture. West’s bestseller Race Matters (1993) is a series of critical discussions on racial, existential, and related sociopolitical afflictions affecting society with a prophetic-sounding call for corrective measures to address them. Read the review of Prophetic Leadership and Visionary Hope.
TIE Blog
These selections include TIE posts on topics like Black photography, books for MLK Day, and reflections on rest and resistance for Black women. To keep up with upcoming TIE content, subscribe to the TIE newsletter.
Blog Posts
Black History as Living Legacy: Education, Story, and Joy
As we celebrate Black History Month this month, and every day, we are invited to do more than just remember. This moment asks us to read, listen, learn, create, and celebrate. It is a time to honor literacy not only as the ability to decode text, but as a living, expansive practice rooted in storytelling, imagination, artistry, and joy. Across generations, Black communities have engaged literacy and education as tools for survival and advancement, but also for building connections, creativity, beauty, and possibility. From Belle Cruthers teaching reading by candlelight when it was forbidden, to Phillis Wheatley writing poetry, to my grandmother teaching pre- and post-desegregation in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, introducing her students to Margaret Walker’s poem “For My People.” Black history has always been deeply connected to acts that encouraged learning, education, and intergenerational uplift. Knowledge and learning were things no one could take from you. Read “Black History as Living Legacy.”
“Picturing the Self”: Black Photography Illuminates at the National Gallery of Art
On October 4th, the last day before the museum was set to close due to the 2025 government shutdown, I rushed to the National Gallery of Art to see Photography and the Black Arts Movement: 1955–1985. This vast, stirring, and overwhelming exhibition is essentially a history lesson on the Black Arts Movement and its intersections with other disciplines like photojournalism and advertising. Most importantly, it situates Black art and artists as futuristic and major influences on American art, particularly within the post–Civil Rights era. Read “‘Picturing the Self.'”
Belle da Costa Greene Reimagined: A Different Take on Her Legacy
The Morgan Library’s exhibition on Belle da Costa Greene offered an intriguing but complex examination of one of America’s most accomplished librarians. There are hard lessons we can learn from both Greene’s remarkable career and the exhibition’s approach to interpreting her story. I think the Morgan was successful in demonstrating the richness and complexity of Greene’s story, but its exploration of race and passing could benefit from more analysis. Read “Belle da Costa Greene Reimagined.”
Refusing to Look Away: Systemic Racism in Academic Libraries
In this blog post, I want to speak plainly about systemic racism and how it appears in academic libraries. Too often, our profession hides behind policies, committees, and statements while refusing to confront the deep roots of racism that continue to shape our spaces. I am especially challenging the idea that we can fix these problems by simply hiring more Black librarians or claiming colorblindness. These approaches do not address the foundation of exclusion that academic libraries were built upon. Through reading the works and words of authors like Michelle Alexander, Isabel Wilkerson, Heather McGhee, and Dr. Ruha Benjamin, I have come to understand how racism is embedded in every system, including the library, and why surface-level diversity efforts will never be enough. This post is my reflection on this phenomenon and a call to action for my colleagues to delve deeper into this issue by reading the books and scholarship by these and other Black women. This will help to prepare for the substantive work that my co-authors and I suggest in the guest editorial for Medical Reference Services Quarterly, “Starting with I: Combating Anti-Blackness in Libraries.” Read “Refusing to Look Away.”
On Being Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired
To put it not-so-mildly, and to reiterate one of my academic and intellectual sheroes and ancestors, I, along with all marginalized, primarily Black, women, am “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Immediately following the publication of my first-ever blog post, “In Search of Rest and Resistance between Dwindling Strength and Vulnerability,” I received several congratulatory texts and a few phone calls. I also received repeated encouragement to explore this off-hand comment included in that post: “I hold conflicting thoughts on why the practice of hiring primarily BIPOC women, and others with marginalized identities to lead these efforts should be interrogated, but that’s a topic for another blog post.” Read “On Being Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired.”
In Search of Rest and Resistance between Dwindling Strength and Vulnerability
I am writing this blog—my first ever—as an essential and cathartic somatic practice for my ongoing efforts toward personal and professional balance, specifically, rest, resistance (I am intentionally not using the word resilience; they are not the same!), and self-love against what Tricia Hersey refers to as “the grind” in her in her book, We Will Rest! (2024). I am also writing this with the hope that it will benefit others, particularly other Black women, as we collectively continue to live and work toward the eventual eradication of social and systemic injustices. Read “In Search of Rest and Resistance between Dwindling Strength and Vulnerability.”
Interviews
Johns Hopkins University’s Dr. Martha S. Jones returns to TIE to discuss her latest book, The Trouble of Color, a memoir on her family history and Black identity. Read the interview with Martha Jones.
Resource Lists
Six Book Reviews to Read for MLK Day
TIE Preview of Upcoming Reads on Race and Ethnicity, 2025
Reviews of the Month
Highlighting reviews that address topical issues, events, or holidays—or simply, reviews we believe deserve more attention. These reviews include Gothic narratives in Blaxploitation horror films, African American jazz legends, and authoritarian pushback against the Black Panthers.
Webinars
Stay current on library trends and discover more about where the academic librarianship is headed in these sponsored, 60-minute interactive presentations lead by industry experts, which cover topics like library technology, DEIA, leadership and management, and open access and OER. View our archive.
Affirmative Action and the Future of DEI: A Panel Discussion
This webinar brought together library leaders and scholars in information studies who champion diversity and inclusion to explore these challenges in depth. Panelists discussed the tenuous future of diversity-focused roles, whether academic libraries have made progress in still pursuing DEI initiatives, and potential solutions for how libraries can continue to strive for inclusive excellence in this exceptionally challenging environment. Watch the webinar recording.
Hot Topic
Hot Topic takes a deep dive into timely, significant, or niche topics guided by reviews over the decades. This collection looks at the history and evolution of jazz.
Jazz
The Authority File Podcast
The Authority File podcast presents a weekly conversation about the who, what, why, and how of research creation, publication, and discovery. Host Bill Mickey and a rotating cast of librarians, technologists, authors, and other academic library luminaries chat about the ways in which scholarly content is created, preserved, and distributed. These podcast series highlight Black Canadian poetry and the history of blackface in Canada.
Talking Infrastructure, Education, and Canada and the Blackface Atlantic
Dr. Cheryl Thompson, Associate Professor in Performance at Toronto Metropolitan University, joins the program to discuss her latest book, Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Slavery, Conflict, and Freedom, 1812-1897. The first in a trilogy, the title investigates the origins of blackface in Canada, tracing the rise of minstrel shows in the 19th century and how they converged with growing infrastructure in railways, theater, and the entertainment industry. In the next four episodes, Cheryl dives into her research and writing process, in addition to her essential work in the archives. She also examines how American enslavement shaped the portrayal of Black people in minstrel shows and the contention between Black choral groups rising in tandem with minstrelsy performances. Listen to the series.
Soundin’ Canaan Explores How Aesthetic and Rhetoric Intertwine in Black Canadian Poetry
Paul db Watkins, Professor of English at Vancouver Island University and author of Soundin’ Canaan: Black Canadian Poetry, Music, and Citizenship, looks at how Black Canadian poets are influenced by Black musical artists and song, and what this creative intersection reveals about multiculturalism and citizenship. We discuss Paul’s research and writing process and the influence his work as a DJ had on his approach to the book. Further, we delve into the meaning of “sonic citizenship,” incorporating playlists and liner notes in an academic text, and the importance of decentering himself to write about Black literature, art, and culture. Listen to the series.
Forthcoming Academic Titles
Forthcoming Titles gathers the latest and soon-to-be-released publications in select disciplines. These lists center on upcoming titles in African American Studies.
Forthcoming Titles in African American Studies, 2026
Forthcoming Titles in African American Studies, 2025
Ask an Archivist
Ask an Archivist is a monthly feature that explores the research and production behind compelling special collections through interviews with their curators, archivists, and directors. This interview spotlights the Joanna Banks Collection of African American Books.
Joanna Banks Collection of African American Books
In this interview, Lynne Farrington, Director of Programs/Senior Curator, Special Collections, in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, talks with Choice about the Joanna Banks Collection of African American Books. Lynne provides a fascinating overview of how Banks began collecting contemporary Black literature and explains the process of moving the collection to Penn Libraries. Lynne also details Banks’s involvement in the Black Womyns/Women’s Art Resource Collective (BWARC) and how the collection spotlights the larger Black literary community. Lynne further shares the Joanna Banks Collection’s applications in curricula and research, along with the curatorial process behind the 2020 exhibition, “Writing Across Genres: African American Women Writers in the Joanna Banks Collection.” Read the Ask an Archivist interview.