Each year here at Stark Library we plan programs, curate displays, organize book lists, and encourage our community members to learn more about Black History through celebration and conversation. We spend so much time and effort preparing for these experiences because we understand the importance of uplifting Black voices within our community. Canton would not be what it is today without the resilience of Black men and women like Esther Archer, who, when elected a Canton city council member in 1948, became the first Black woman elected to municipal office in the state of Ohio, or Ida Ross-Freeman, who spent her time advocating for violence victims and former felons, co-founding Canton’s annual Juneteenth celebration, and leading the Stark County Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Outreach Project.
The national theme for Black History Month 2025 is African Americans and Labor—an intersection that our country and our society, would not be here without. This theme “focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary – intersect with the collective experiences of Black people” (National Museum of African American History and Culture). The efforts of folks like Bill Powell, the first Black man in the nation to design and run his own golf course, or JB Walker, Canton’s first Black physician who helped organize the Canton Urban League, are still benefitting our community in tangible ways today. For more information on the 2025 theme, check out this in-depth explanation.
We encourage you to take time this month and time going forward to emphasize the often-overlooked accomplishments and contributions made by Black Americans, giving these achievements the attention and credit that is well deserved. This might mean finally delving into The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson or picking up Questlove’s memoir Mo’ Meta Blues. Perhaps stop into your closest library branch for a family movie night with the kids. Maybe for you, honoring Black History Month means supporting a local Black owned business (Destinee Stark keeps a running list here!) Whatever your plans, if you find yourself near downtown Canton this month, you’ll want to stop into the Main Library to view A Place For All People, a collaborative Smithsonian and local history exhibit created to showcase both local Black History and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information on why we celebrate Black History Month, as well as educational resources, check out this website from ASALH, the founders of Black History Month. Head to our Black History Month page for events celebrating Black history and culture and don’t forget to grab our special Black History Month sticker and Resource Sheet at location near you!
-Article by Hannah V., Library Specialist at Main Library, Adult Services
