It wasn't just Cozbi Cabrera's beautiful illustrations that captured my heart the first time I read Me and Mama. The prose that filled the pages was so sweet and specific, and sounded just like something that could have come from a child's mouth. After reading several of her other works, I was amazed at Cabrera's level of artistry and sincerity. This post shines a light on Cozbi Cabrera's masterfully created picture books. 

Today, we will discuss Marcia Fenn's upcoming Blessing Tree (November-December) and Black History Month Scavenger Hunt (February 2024). Marcia Fenn has been a Library Associate at Nashville Public Library's Edmondson Pike Branch since 2021. Over the past three years, she has created and presented multiple popular programs at the Edmondson Pike branch, such as a yearly Breast Cancer Walk, Blessing Tree, and Black History Month Scavenger Hunt. She also runs weekly and monthly programs such as Get Your Walk On, Craft Saturday, The Players Club, and Reading in Color.

Of the various projects that we work on in Metro Archives, the Nashville Enslaved and Free People of Color Database is one we started several years ago, and are still actively adding to. If you're interested in learning more about what the database includes and how to use it, please read on. 

In honor of African American History Month, a look back at a business that made quite an impact on the building of Nashville over the last 100 years - McKissack & McKissack Architectural Firm.

If February is both Heart Month and Black History Month, then it is most certainly Vivien Thomas Month! 

Oral History Available in the Library’s Special Collections

An acquaintance of mine is fond of saying "28 days will never be enough," to refer to Black History Month. That is, one month out of the year (and the shortest month at that) is not enough time to highlight the full depth and breadth of black history in the United States and around the world. Nor should it be limited to one month out of the year. Black History is History writ large. But during African American History Month it is important that we bring our particular attention to the contributions of African Americans. Picture books are an ideal (and beautiful) way to address the gaps in our knowledge.

A new picture book biography of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, whose enormous book collection formed the basis of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, is an artistic and literary achievement.

African-American chefs, dietitians, and activists shed light on the health benefits of a plant-based diet, and its cultural ties to African and Carribean heritage.