The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded more than $171 million to nearly 3,000 projects exploring the history of Black Americans. Pick up one of these NEH-supported books below. Or browse our Black History Month virtual bookshelf for the most up-to-date collection of NEH-funded projects—from traveling exhibitions and award-winning documentaries to K–12 lesson plans and the papers of Martin Luther King Jr.—for celebrating this, and every, month. Game of Privilege: An African American History of Golf
Lane Demas’ comprehensive work re-examines the story of golf in America, from George F. Grant’s invention of the golf tee in 1899 to the fight to desegregate courses and to today’s PGA tour. This book is available as an open access e-book as part of the NEH Fellowships Open Book Program. All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
Tiya Miles’s 2021 National Book Award winner traces the human history behind an artifact, an embroidered mid-1800s cotton sack, through the lives of three generations of Black women. Read an excerpt in Humanities magazine. African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song
This Library of America anthology, edited by Kevin Young, includes writings from 250 Black poets from the colonial period to the present, featuring lyrical, formal, and protest verse, among others. Read an interview with Young about the project in Humanities magazine. Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America
In her NEH Public Scholar book, Candacy Taylor examines the historical role and enduring impact of the Green Book, a travel guide for Black motorists published from 1936 to 1966, while celebrating the businesses who bravely put their names in the book. |
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Since the early twentieth century, people have tuned into the radio for news, entertainment, and a connection to the larger world. As the medium has evolved in the internet age, NEH grants have supported the preservation of historical broadcasts and supported the development of innovative programming that explores humanities topics. Learn about some of the projects NEH has supported to safeguard radio’s legacy and bring humanities content to the public in the latest story in the NEH Newsroom and stream NEH-funded podcasts on your favorite service or at the links below. Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race
This ten-episode series from the Science History Institute investigates the historical roots of racism in American science and medicine, tracing the stories of the past to the realities of today. New episodes released weekly. Audio History Project
Radio Diaries’ Audio History Project explores America’s complex past through audio documentaries, created with oral histories and archival footage. Episodes include “My Iron Lung,” “The End of Smallpox,” and “The Almost Astronaut.” The Keepers
The Kitchen Sisters Present’s series “The Keepers” tells the story of the archivists, librarians, historians, and curators who do the daily work of caring for our cultural heritage and the collections they maintain. Listen to the second season of “The Keepers,” supported by NEH, on the podcast The Kitchen Sisters Present. |
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The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?
Mary Oliver
This infographic ranks the wealthiest 15 billionaires on the African continent by their total net worth and country. |
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The U.S. labor market is remarkably strong, with a 3.4% unemployment rate. Which sectors are seeing the highest job gains in 2023? |
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In this visual, we've ranked the largest U.S. cities by GDP. How does your city rank in terms of economic output? |
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This infographic ranks the 10 most valuable bank brands over the past five years (Spoiler: U.S. banks aren't in the top four.) |
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The global titanium supply chain is heavily dependent on Asian countries, including China. See where titanium comes from in this infographic. |
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The U.S. is built on immigration and this chart shows how LatAm immigration has been one of the biggest drivers of U.S. population growth. |
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Automakers have spent $75 billion in the race to launch the first autonomous car, but just how close are we to ditching the steering wheel? |
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Asia is on its way to account for half of the world’s electricity generation by 2025. How is this growing demand currently being met? |
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Which economies have hazy air, and which ones enjoy mostly clear skies? Find out in this geographic breakdown of air pollution levels. |
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Fossil fuels and their carbon emissions are being produced globally. These 4 charts look at consumption and emissions around the world. |
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Around 80% of the 6 trillion cigarettes produced annually are littered, and many of those end up in oceans, adding to the plastic problem. |
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This pie chart, circa 1914, is a fascinating breakdown of China's export economy just prior to World War I. |
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To reach net-zero by 2050, trillions in annual investment will be required. Here’s how carbon credits help close this funding gap. |
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Today, only 15% of banknotes feature women. This infographic looks at who these women are and which countries feature them on their currency.
Originally from March 2022
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Like when a team pulls ahead after being down the entire first half…
