The African American Journey Towards Freedom and Equality, 1619-2009 A Tale Told in Black and White

On the occasion of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the NAACP, and in honor of the birthdays of two great civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King and Frederick Douglass, the Special Collections Department presents a Special Exhibit on “The African American Journey Towards Freedom and Equality.”

The exhibit features books, pamphlets, and documents from the African American History Collection and other research collections housed in the Special Collections Department. Items on exhibit include 18th and early 19th century slavery accounts, as well as publications documenting the development of the Anti-Slavery Movement. Also featured are examples of the emergence of individuals and organizations working for equal rights for African Americans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibit continues with of books and pamphlets documenting the major Civil Rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s, before bringing the story up into the present century. Lastly, the exhibit includes items from the Library’s collections documenting history of African Americans in California and the development of civil rights here at home.