Black History Month reflects on, celebrates and honors the African-American experience. Everywhere you look, black culture, talent, and political efforts have played an enormous role in shaping America's past and present.
African Americans have revered good stories and storytellers. The story-telling history of Africa is rich and varied, and it remains a living tradition that continues to evolve and flourish in the diaspora today. "How many of us really know about the truly great civilizations of Africa, in their days as glorious and resplendent as any on the face of the earth?" asks Henry Louis Gates Jr., educator, author, literary critic, and historian.
This tradition blends into American literary history. For instance, Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, was grounded in African-American literature began at an early age in her home. "My parents also loved reading—as much as they could read—and they loved folk stories," says Walker.
Underscoring the significance of African American storytelling, the American Library Association (ALA) has introduced The Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement to recognize outstanding African American authors, illustrators or author/illustrators and practitioners for lasting and significant contributions to youth or young adult literature. The award is part of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, which honor African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate sensitivity to “the African American experience via literature and illustration.”
In honor of Black History Month, watch writers and scholars—including Alice Walker, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Virginia Hamilton, and others—discuss the significance of storytelling as part of African American culture.