Join the Library of Congress for Douglass Day 2024 and Black History Month Events
Library’s By the People Initiative and Pennsylvania State University Invite Public to Transcribe Frederick Douglass’ Papers on Douglass Day
The Library of Congress’ By the People initiative, in collaboration with the Center for Black Digital Research at Pennsylvania State University, are inviting the public to show some love for Frederick Douglass on Feb. 14 by joining a transcribe-a-thon focused on his letters housed at the Library.
In a first-of-its-kind, multi-year agreement with Penn State, the Library wants Americans to take a deep dive into Douglass’ life and letters to gain a better understanding of his legacy. The goal is to transcribe Douglass’ general correspondence — all 8,731 pages— in a single day.
“Douglass Day honors the life and legacy of a great African American abolitionist, writer and speaker, and the Library of Congress is thrilled to join Penn State in inviting all Americans to transcribe his papers on this special day of celebration and rememberance," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
This is the first time the By the People volunteer program is transcribing Douglass’ papers for Douglass Day, held every year on Feb. 14 to mark his birth. The first Douglass Day was commemorated in 1897, just two years after Douglass’ death.
Also in February, join the Library of Congress for an array of events focused on Black History Month, including:
Feb. 7: Part of the PBS American Masters series, join the Library for a special screening of the film, “Max Roach:The Drum Also Waltzes.” Co-directors and co-producers, Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro will introduce the film. Get tickets.
Feb. 8: Learn about Ralph Ellison's creativity and observation of African American life through discussion of Michal Raz-Russo and John F. Callahan's collaboratively created book "Ralph Ellison: Photographer." Register for this online event.
Feb. 10: Come to the Library for a family crafting program to celebrate Black History Month. Learn about the Library's collections while you create craft projects inspired by Black history. No tickets needed for this event.
Feb. 15: Major Jackson, the prizewinning author of "Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems" and host of "The Slowdown" poetry podcast, talks with Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles about his work. No tickets needed for this event. Get tickets.
Feb. 15: Join the Library for a screening of the film, “Lilies in the Field.” Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for this role of an itinerant handyman who helps a group of European nuns build a chapel in the Arizona desert. No tickets needed for this event.
Feb. 21: Learn how to find pictures in the Library's Prints & Photographs collection taken by African American photographer Robert McNeill. Register for this online event.
Feb. 22: Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will be in conversation with Kerri Greenidge, leading historian about her new book: “The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family.” Get tickets.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
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PR 24-017
02/01/24
ISSN 0731-3527