Launch of Web site leads list of special events honoring black achievement

The Library of Congress holds several million items of African American history and culture.  In celebrating the history of African Americans, the Library has launched an online resource page (www.loc.gov/africanamericans) featuring its rich African American collections, from slave narratives to veterans’ oral histories; stories on major historical figures; ready-to-use lesson plans for teachers; collection guides and online exhibitions.

In keeping with the celebration’s national theme, the Library is sponsoring several events, including a film screening, an exhibition, lectures and concerts.

Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald will be delivering the African American History Month keynote address at the Library of Congress on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. It will take place in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, D. C.  The event is free and open to the public.

The program will also feature remarks by John Fleming, national president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).  ASALH’s 2007 theme, “From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas,” honors the work of black historian John Hope Franklin, who recently won the Library’s Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity.

One of the special concerts in February will feature “A Civil Rights Reader,” a blend of funk, rock, hip-hop and classical music by “classical experimentalist” Daniel Bernard Roumain.

The concert will be followed by the premiere of “Neo Soul Sonata” for violin and synthesizer, commissioned by the Library of Congress McKim Fund. The fund has commissioned a distinguished and diverse roster of more than 65 composers.

Visit www.loc.gov/today for a schedule of events. All concerts are presented free to the public but require tickets for admission. Tickets are distributed by Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com, 301-808-6900, 410-752-1200 or 800-551-7328. Patrons may come to the Library by 6:30 p.m. on concert nights to wait in the standby line for no-show tickets.