Black History Month 2026

Support Black-Owned Businesses

Use the links below to identify and support Black-owned businesses in the Worcester area this month and every month throughout the year. 

Black-Owned Worcester Restaurants - Use Discover Central Massachusetts 2023 list highlighting Black-owned restaurants. 

Local Black-Owned Businesses - A useful blog post by Luk, Inc that pulls together resources to help locate and support Black-owned businesses. 

Black-Owned Local Businesses in Worcester - A project co-created in 2020 by two former Holy Cross students, Sienna Ablorh and Dorean Asuako, who aimed to build a list of Black-owned businesses in the Worcester area. 

Diverse Business Directory - The City of Worcester's list includes local businesses who elected to be included on the list.

WPL Resources

Black History Month Reading list - A selection of fiction and nonfiction titles highlighting Black authors and books on Black history.

Black Women Poets - A collection of classic and contemporary poetry by Black women poets. 

How to Be an Antiracist Booklist - Titles to help you understand and respond to racism.

Cookbooks & Cooking Memoirs for Black History Month - A selection of cookbooks written by Black authors to celebrate their culinary heritage.

Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance - Read about one of the most talented and prolific writers to emerge during the Harlem Renaissance.

Mysteries and Crime Fiction by Black Authors - A selection of Black-authored mystery novels featuring Black detectives, private investigators, and amateur sleuths. 

Sci Fi & Fantasy by Black Authors - Want to read more Black authors but don't know where to start? Check out these recent sci fi & fantasy reads. 

Kanopy Black History Watchlist - Access a variety of films celebrating Black History Month. Learn more about how to access films on Kanopy.

Book displays throughout the Main Library

Notable Black American Biographies 

Black Artists and Writers

Black Musicians

Book Display at the Worcester Senior Center

Throughout the month of February, WPL will host a Black History book display at the Worcester Senior Center. These books are not part of our collection and are yours to keep — they do not need to be returned to the library. A special thanks to the Friends of the Worcester Public Library for their generous donation of these books.

Worcester Public Library Events

Worcester Community Events

Echoes of Hope, Anchored in Resilience

Wendesday, February 11, 2026, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Living Word Church, 30 Tyler Prentice Blvd, Worcester, MA

Registration Required

Black History Month Luncheon, co‑hosted by Open Sky, DMH, and Advocates. This luncheon is an opportunity to celebrate Black history, engage in meaningful conversation, and reaffirm our shared commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Magic of Motown: A Music Celebration Presentation

Thursday, February 12, 10 - 11:30 am (Snow Date: February 26)

Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence Street, Worcester, MA

What was billed as "Music for Young America" struck a chord with millions in the 1960s. This lively and enlightening celebration of Motown hosted by author and pop culture historian Marty Gitlin features performance videos of the best of the best, including the Temptations, Supremes, and Four Tops. Marty will talk about the impact Motown made on music, pop culture, and society, and challenge the audience with fun trivia questions to ponder and answer.

Motown Music and More with P.E. James

Thursday, February 12, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (Snow Date: February 26)

Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence Street, Worcester, MA

P.E. James has been entertaining audiences by singing and playing acoustic guitar for over four decades. His specialty is upbeat songs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, including early rock and roll and sing-along folk tunes!

Black Women at the Center of Revolution

Thursday, February 26, 2026, 7 - 8 pm

American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 

Registration Required

As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial, AAS brings together a panel of distinguished Black women scholars to reconsider how the nation defines “revolution” and whose struggles are recognized as revolutionary. Moderated by AAS Council member Deborah Hall, the panelists will examine how Black women have demanded freedom through social, political, and legal activism over the past 250 years, from early petitions and collective resistance to organized movements for justice and liberation.

Check out more community events on 2026 Black History Month Community Calendar curated by The Village Worcester.

Commemorate Juneteenth

Learn about Juneteenth with the Worcester Public Library! Juneteenth, a federal holiday, is a portmanteau of June nineteenth, and commemorates the emancipation of African Americans after the Civil War. Below are a variety of resources and events to help us learn about this important day.

WPL JUNETEENTH RESOURCES

Reads for Juneteenth - Titles to help everyone learn about the significance of Juneteenth and the Black American experience.

Kanopy Watch List - Kanopy, streaming service that is free to use with your WPL card, has assembled a collection of films to honor Juneteenth.  If you do not have a Kanopy account, create one here. 

• Miss Juneteenth 
• Roots
• The Uncomfortable Truth
• Liberty & Slavery: The Paradox of America's Founding Fathers
• The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song 
• Ralph Ellison: An American Journey
  

Visit our display on the 1st floor of the Main Library to check out books and other resources related to this important holiday.

LOCAL EVENTS:  

Worcester City Hall: 2024 Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony, Friday, June 14, 5:00 PM

Institute Park: Annual Black Heritage Juneteenth Festival, Saturday, June 15, 12 - 8 PM

Fitchburg Abolitionist Park: Juneteenth Celebration, Wednesday, June 19, 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Discover Central Mass

Boston Events

OTHER RESOURCES:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

• Explore NMAAHC's resources
• NMAAHC Juneteenth Reading List

Library of Congress

• Library of Congress: Today in History

Kanopy: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Explore the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. with Kanopy, a streaming service that is free with your WPL card. Titles include I Have a Dream, which features four historic speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., and Black America since MLK: And Still I rise which analyzes African American history within the past 50 years.

WPL card holders have 9 tickets to use to watch films. Follow this link to learn more about how tickets work. The Kanopy app is available on mobile devices and smart TVs. Create an account here. If you already have an account, click on the film title to sign in and start watching. 

I Have a Dream

This historical compilation features highlights of major speeches given by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. - August 28, 1963

Brown Chapel, Selma, AL - March 8, 1965

Final Speech - April 3, 1968

Robert F. Kennedy Eulogy - April 4, 1968

PBS: In Remembrance of Martin

Personal comments from family, friends, and advisors fill this remarkable documentary honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Coretta Scott King joins the Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Julian Bond, Jimmy Carter, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Senator Edward Kennedy, John Lewis, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Andrew Young, who recall Dr. King's career and trace his leadership in the civil rights movement.

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise 

This series looks at the last five decades of African American history through the eyes of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., exploring the tremendous gains and persistent challenges of these years. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, scholarly analysis and rare archival footage, the series illuminates our recent past, while raising urgent questions about the future of the African American community and our nation as a whole.

King: A Filmed Record

A monumental documentary that follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968, in his rise from regional activist to world-renowned leader of the Civil Rights movement. Rare footage of King's speeches, protests, and arrests are interspersed with scenes of other high-profile supporters and opponents of the cause, punctuated by heartfelt testimonials by some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

The Talk: Race in America

This film documents the increasingly common conversation taking place in homes across the country between parents of color and their children, especially sons, about how to behave if they are ever stopped by the police.

At the River I Stand

A skillful reconstruction of the two eventful months that transformed a strike by Memphis sanitation workers into a national conflagration. 

La Borinqueña: A new hero for our time

 

Who is La Borinqueña? 

If you’re like me and have a list of favorite superheroes (and a few villains), then allow me to add another to your list: La Borinqueña. I may be five years behind (she debuted in 2016), but as they say, better late than never.

La Borinqueña (Marisol Rios De La Luz) is an original character created and written by graphic novelist, activist, and philanthropist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. While many comics feature Eurocentric mythology in which characters battle otherworldly creatures, La Borinqueña is of Puerto Rican descent (which includes African and Indigenous ancestry) and focuses on real-life social issues.

Marisol is a Columbia University Earth and Environmental Sciences undergraduate student living with her parents in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When she studies abroad in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico, she finds five crystals while exploring a cave. Atabex, the Taino mother goddess, appears before Marisol once the crystals are united. She summons her sons Yúcahu (spirit of the seas and mountains) and Huracán (spirit of the hurricanes). They give Marisol superhuman strength, the power of flight, and control of the storms. In addition to her powers being drawn from the history and mysticism found on the island of Puerto Rico, La Borinqueña is also fiercely patriotic. Her name is derived from the Puerto Rican national anthem, which is a variation on Borikén, the name the indigenous Taíno people called the island.

When Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez was invited to attend the 2016 Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City, he asked the organizers if they were interested in La Borinqueña, who was only a sketch at the time. When he unveiled La Borinqueña at a press conference, she became a media sensation overnight. 

(Image courtesy of Somos Arte)

Coming Together for a Cause 

After Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017, Miranda-Rodriguez teamed up with former DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio to create a collection of short stories featuring iconic DC characters such as Wonder Woman teaming up with La Borinqueña to help hurricane victims. Artists and celebrities such as Frank Miller, Gail Simone, Rosario Dawson and Rubén Blades joined the collaboration. The collection, titled Ricanstruction, generated $200,000 in sales, all of which was given to grass-roots organizations in Puerto Rico. 

In a quote to Publisher's Weekly, Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez said this of La Borinqueña: "She is not liberal or conservative. She’s trying to figure it out. I intentionally wrote a story around the perspective of a college student who gets to go away. When you are living away, it’s a massive paradigm shift. It will either move you closer to the ideology you grew up with or take you in a completely different direction. That’s what I wanted to do with Marisol.”

If you missed when this anthology first debuted, check out these press releases:

NYT: A Puerto Rican Hero Joins With Wonder Woman and Others for Hurricane Relief

EW: See Frank Miller's cover for Rosario Dawson's Puerto Rico Relief Comic

CNN: La Borinqueña usa sus "poderes" para ayudar a reconstruir Puerto Rico

(La Borinqueña pin-up by Wilfredo Torres & Juan Fernandez)

More to Come

Since La Borinqueña teamed up with the Justice League, Miranda-Rodriguez has created the La Borinqueña Grants Program. Most recently, he's partnered with Chocolate Cortes P.R. in which he created an original story that will be reproduced in a comic strip series in four limited edition chocolate bars. Proceeds from this chocolate bar will go towards Fundación Cortés as part of the La Borinqueña Grants Program. You'll also see La Borinqueña on the Masks for America initiative, which provides N95 masks to healthcare workers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 

In the past five years, La Borinqueña has been drawn by world-renowned graffiti artist John "Crash" Matos, has appeared in the Kiki Koko children's book series by Ed Rodriguez, and had her costume displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History- and she's just getting started! 

Watch and Learn

CÑN Éxito: Llega La Borinqueña al Smithsonian

NowThis: La Borinqueña Sheds Light on the History of the Puerto Rican Flag

Un Nuevo Día: ¿Cómo nació la súper heroína “La Borinqueña”? 

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15) celebrates the history, culture and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. The day of September 15 is significant as it is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18.

Below are resources for everyone to learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month, so that we may celebrate it all year long and honor the stories of all Americans. 

WPL Resources

Hispanic Heritage Month Reading List- Enjoy our booklist highlighting the culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States.

Romance Reads for Hispanic Heritage Month- Romance featuring prominent Hispanic & Latinx characters. 

Celebrating Hispanic Athletes Reading List - Learn about the contributions made by Hispanic & Latinx athletes to the sporting world. 

Overdrive Reading List - Fiction and nonfiction books in electronic and audio format. 

Hispanic Heritage Month Watch List- A collection of documentaries from Kanopy, a free streaming service with your WPL card. 

Finding Your Hispanic Roots by George R. Ryskamp- Recommended by our genealogy department for exploring your Hispanic ancestry. 

National Poetry Month: Hispanic Poets- Read our blog about poets Pablo Neruda & Julia de Burgos. 

La Borinqueña: A new heroine for our time

Learn More 

HispanicHeritageMonth.gov

Latino History Project of Worcester

Worcester State University Latino Education Institute 

Clark University Latin + American Art Exhibit: Gallery video/Artist video

Library of Congress Latinx Studies

Museum of Latin American Art (MOLLA)

National Museum of American History: ¡Pleibol! online exhibit 

Smithsonian: Heritage & History Month Events 

National Park Service: Telling All American Stories 

Local Events

9/15: Hispanic Heritage Concert with Rockabye Beats @ WPL Main

9/15-9/23: WSU Latino Education Institute Pop Up Exhibit 

9/17: The Trouble with My Name featuring Javier Ávila  

9/18: Ceremonia de Izado de la Bandera Salvadoreña, 3pm @ Worcester City Hall 

9/22: Criándome, Cuidándome: Healing Intergenerational Trauma Through Reparenting our Inner Children 

Kanopy: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th - October 15th) recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic and Latinx Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. To learn more about this integral part of American history, try one of these films available through Kanopy, a streaming service that is free to use with your WPL card. If you do not have a Kanopy account, you can create one. Click here to get started. If you’ve enjoyed any of these films, or have other suggestions, leave a comment below. 

Los Punks

This film, directed by renowned photographer Angela Boatwright, explores the young, mostly Hispanic, Punk scene in L.A. and finds an undeniably gritty, yet creative environment.

CubAmerican

Spanning the past 60 years of Cuban history, this film discusses universal themes of loss, freedom, assimilation, struggle and triumph through the stories of Cuban exiles that have achieved acclaim in diverse fields in the U.S.A. and beyond. 

I am The Queen

In Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood, the Vida/Sida Cacica Pageant brings together members of the Puerto Rican community to celebrate its transgender participants.

Las Marthas 

Follows two young women as they prepare for the annual debutante ball in Laredo, Texas that honors George Washington's birthday. 

Every Child is a Poet 

This film traces Piri Thomas' path from childhood to adulthood in New York City's Spanish Harlem from the 1930s through the 1960s. It explores his parents' immigrant experience, his struggle to come to terms with his mixed racial identity, and his emergence as a writer and acitvist. 

Freegal: Celebrating African American Music Month

 

Learn more about African American musicians with Freegal, a music streaming service that is free to use with your WPL card. Featuring artists such as Al Green, Nina Simone, and Duke Ellington, this list illustrates the ground-breaking contributions of African American artists to all genres of music. To listen to the African American Music Month Essentials playlist, click here.

How to Access Freegal

To access Freegal you need a Worcester Public Library card (or a card from a library that subscribes to Freegal). If you don't have a WPL card, it's easy to sign up for one! You can fill out an application at mywpl.org or visit one of our branches. Once you have your card, visit Freegal.com and log in with your card number and pin. 

If you have more questions about Freegal, visit their FAQs page. 

Additional Playlists

Paisley Park Radio: Prince Essentials

Featuring the greatest hits from The Purple One. 

Juneteenth

Artists using their voices for activism.

Miss Simone: Nina Simone Essentials 

An extensive playlist of the "Strange Fruit" singer. 

Hip Hop Treasures 

Hip Hip classics and today's favorites. 

Havin' Me Some Fun Tonight: The Best of Little Richard 

25 songs from a Rock N' Roll pioneer.

Aretha Franklin's Top Hits

The best of the Queen of Soul.  

Celebrating Black Romance Authors

The romance industry is finally seeing a growth in diversity. While this is long overdue, romance readers are eager for this change and ready to read new stories. Even though Black romance authors like Beverly Jenkins and Brenda Jackson have been publishing books for decades, the industry still remains predominantly white, female, and heterosexual. The #OwnVoices movement has helped to overhaul the publishing industry by providing stories written by authors from the same backgrounds as their characters. 

While some may consider the romance genre frivolous, it is important to recognize that in addition to portraying relationships from multiple perspectives, romance novels today are also tackling topics such as race, toxic masculinity, mental illness, and abuse. By telling these stories, romance authors show that healing is possible, love can grow from trauma, and that happily ever after is not out of reach. It’s time to give romance a chance! 

Check out these books and resources by Black romance authors to learn more about how the romance publishing industry is changing for the better. 

Recommended Reading

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert 

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a list of seven directives to help her "get a life.” Chloe needs help, and she knows just the man for the job. Redford Morgan is a dangerously handsome handyman with tattoos and a motorcycle. But when Chloe enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns what really lies beneath his rough exterior. 

About Talia Hibbert 

Confessions in B-Flat by Donna Hill 

Follows the 1964 Civil Rights-era relationship between a protégé of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a supporter of Malcolm X.

About Donna Hill

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole 

When Likotsi and Fab meet on a stalled subway train months after their breakup, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Fab slowly reveals why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wonder if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.

About Alyssa Cole

A Duke, The Lady, and A Baby by Vanessa Riley

When heiress Patience Jordan questioned her husband's mysterious suicide, she lost her son, her fortune, and her freedom. When the Widow's Grace gets her hired as her own son's nanny, she learns that her son's new guardian, the Duke of Repington, is an ex-rake of unswerving honor and unexpected passion. 

About Vanessa Riley

The Business of Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey

Brothers Dwayne and Brick aren’t looking for romance. When Dwayne tries to reconnect with his son, he finds himself fighting his attraction to his son's mother. When Brick's job as chauffeur/bodyguard to three female escorts opens up a world of possibility, the two brothers must decide if they're ready to love again. 

About Eric Jerome Dickey

Jeremiah by Jayce Ellis

Collin hates his job, but he doesn't know what he wants to do long-term and he won't figure it out by swooning over Jeremiah. When Jeremiah's faced with losing all he's worked so hard to build, he reluctantly accepts Collin's help. They're both determined to stay professional, which is easier said than done.  

About Jayce Ellis

Articles 

Shondaland: Black Romance Novels Matter Too

NYT: In Beverly Jenkins' Romance Novels, Black History is Front and Center

O Magazine: Stacey Abrams Has Been Pivotal for Voter Turnout—But She's Also a Romance Novelist

Texas Monthly: Vivian Stephens Helped Turn Romance Writing Into a Billion-Dollar Industry. Then She Got Pushed Out.

NPR: For These 3 Writers, Black Love And Black Joy Take Center Stage

Podcasts

Black Romance Podcast

Black Chick Lit

The Nod: What's Wrong with a Little Romance? (Feat. Jasmine Guillory)

Momentum: Black Romance Literature

Videos

Celebrating 25 years of Brenda Jackson

Black Girls Read Books, Too: Interview with Farrah Rochon

Representation in Romance Novels: Celebrating Authors and Characters of Color

A Mighty Blaze: Interview with Denise Williams 

Social Distancing Book Fest: Diversifying Romance Author Panel

Romance at WPL

Romance Readers Book Club

Romance Book Discussion Group

Romance Booklists 

Celebrate Black History this Month and Every Month

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY THIS MONTH AND EVERY MONTH, FOR BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY

WPL Resources

Black History Month Reading list - A selection of fiction and nonfiction titles highlighting Black authors and books on Black history.

How to Be an Antiracist Booklist - Titles to help you understand and respond to racism in print, e-book, and audiobook format.

Cookbooks & Cooking Memoirs for Black History Month - A selection of cookbooks written by Black authors to celebrate their culinary heritage.

Sci Fi & Fantasy by Black Authors - Want to read more Black authors but don't know where to start? Check out these recent sci fi & fantasy reads.

Black Women Poets - A collection of classic and contemporary poetry by Black women poets.

Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance - Read about one of the most talented and prolific writers to emerge during the Harlem Renaissance.

Celebrating Black Romance Authors - Check out these books and resources by Black romance authors to learn more about how the romance publishing industry is changing for the better. 

Mysteries and Crime Fiction by Black Authors - A selection of Black-authored mystery novels featuring Black detectives, private investigators, and amateur sleuths.

Click Here for Worcester Public Library Events

Worcester Community Events

City of Worcester Events

PLAYED: How Music Orchestrates Thick Violence Against Black Girls on the Internet

Clark University, Higgins Lounge, Dana Commons – 2nd Floor. February 7, 2024,  7- 8:30 pm

Streamed Live: https://clarku.zoom.us/j/93352298941

Dr. Kyra Gaunt (University at Albany, SUNY) reveals the obscured musical contributions of Black girls who twerk while also exposing how music perpetuates patriarchal violence.

Brooding over Bloody Revenge With Nikki M. Taylor

VIRTUAL: American Antiquarian Society. Thursday February 8, 2024, at 7 pm

In this virtual book talk, Nikki M. Taylor reveals how enslaved women in the United States used lethal force in response to deeply personal wrongs committed by their owners.

Worcester Black History Project at the Worcester Center for Crafts

On view in the Krikorian Gallery, February 1 – 29, 2024

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 3, 4-6PM

The Worcester Black History Project invited black artists to respond to the theme of Catch the Fire. Viewers will observe how each artist interpreted this theme. Additionally, it will offer viewers the opportunity to reflect on the theme of Black History Month 2024, African American in the Arts and the mediums used by black people to resist oppression while simultaneously producing beautiful art.

Learn More

National Museum of African American History & Culture: African Americans and the Arts

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) commemorates Black History Month with wide-reaching programs that elevate the theme of “African Americans and the Arts,” using art as a platform for social justice. Black History Month also features the museum’s “NMAAHC Kids Learning Together” program, providing an opportunity for kids to virtually meet Black beekeepers, a Black scuba diver and a Black rock climber. All “NMAAHC Kids” programs are free with advance registration. The museum’s Black History Month online resources are available to explore, including a dedicated Black History Month webpage. 

Black History Month

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.