Library Research Guides: Black Excellence Library Guide: Resources

About this Guide

The Black Excellence Library Resource Guide is designed to provide an online space to learn about the history, life experiences, and contributions to our society.

Our goal is to celebrate the accomplishments of Black / African American authors and scholars, honor our social justice warriors, and recognize the advocates for social change. GWC embodies equity and inclusion of all students, and we look to bring awareness and recognition to those who want to understand and embrace Black / African American culture.

The resource guide is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather a living repository of material. It includes lists of books, e-books, article databases, streaming videos, and accessible online resources.

Attribution: Adapted by GWC librarians; Herman Singh and Tasha Chambliss, GWC Umoja Coordinators; and from the Long Beach City College Library guides, Latinx Library Resource Guide: Latinx Resources and Black Lives Matter Library Guide, collaborations of LBCC librarians, faculty, and students.

Resources for Black Students at GWC:

Umoja Program
The Umoja Learning Community was created to serve the growing African American/Black student population on campus and respond to the culturally diverse needs of our student body. As directed by the CCCCO Call to Action, this program aligns to an inclusive campus culture and addresses systemic barriers to African American/Black, and all students of color, within an educational framework.

Selected Print Books

Selected eBooks

An African American and Latinx History of the United States

Databases

American Histtory and Life Library Database

Black Studies Films on Demand Library Database

Streaming Videos

Additional Resources

Websites and Digital Collections

Black Studies: Library of Congress Resources
Over 400 years of the African American experience is documented through primary source materials at the Library of Congress. This guide provides access to digitized collections, search strategies, and external websites related to the topic.
Gallup Center on Black Voices
Statistics: Explore Gallup's independent research that reveals the trends and insights on the experiences of Black Americans.
History.com: Black History
African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.
Pew Research Center: Black Americans
Statistics: This resource explores the diverse views and experiences of Black people in America with in-depth surveys and other research. Their work focuses on three themes: Black identity, the economic and social mobility of Black people in America, and Black representation in American political and social life.
Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture
The only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans.
Umbra Search African American History
Digital Collections Search: From the University of Minnesota, this tool searches more than 500,000 digitized African American primary sources (letters, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, etc.) from over 1000 participating archives, libraries, and museums in the U.S.