The history of racism in access to literat ure is often overlooked\, but segregation in libraries was widespread in t he South. Broward County was no exception. Leaders in the Black community responded with self-determination\, creating their own libraries to addres s the intellectual vacuum left by their exclusion from white-only public l ibraries. Join us for a discussion with historians\, librarians\, and libr ary advocates to learn about the evolution of the Black library in Broward County. Panelists include historian Derek Davis\; Evelyn Grooms and Edith Gooden-Thompson\, both former educators\, former members of the Friends o f the Mizell Library\, and former presidents of the Friends of AARLCC\; Ta nya Simons-Oparah\, former AARLCC staff member\; and Samuel F. Morrison\, former director of Broward County Library and the founder of the African A merican Research Library and Cultural Center. \;
\nThis event is sponsored by the Friends of AARLCC.
\nFor a complete schedule of ev ents for the 2024 Africana Arts &\; Humanities Festival\, \;click here.
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Image: Event at the Mizell Library. Undated. The Von D. Mizell Library Collection\, African American Research Library and Cultural Center\, B roward County Library.
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About the African Amer
ican Research Library and Cultural Center \;
The \;Broward County African American Research Librar
y and Cultural Center \;(AARLCC) \;is located in the Sistrunk
community\, one of the oldest historically Black communities named for one
of Fort Lauderdale&rsquo\;s first Black physicians. Opening to the public
on October 26\, 2002\, AARLCC became the third public library of its kind
in the United States dedicated to the study of Black history and culture.
The 60\,000 square-foot Center serves as a repository of materials relate
d to the local\, national\, and international voices of the African diaspo
ra with more than 85\,000 books\, manuscripts\, artifacts\, framed art\, p
rint\, photography\, audiovisual\, and documents held in our Adult Service
s Section and Special Collections. The Youth Services Section features a s
pecial collection of Coretta Scott King Award books and the \;Ashley B
ryan Art Collection \;from illustrators of African Descent. AARLCC als
o features a 5\,000 sq. ft. museum\, a 300-seat state-of-the-art theatre\,
and a Computer Training Center.
