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Join us for a storytime celebrating African American and Black History Month. Learn about traditions of the African diaspora with stories, songs, and dance. Decorate a West African mask and Egyptian collar necklace.
For ages 5 – 17 with parent or caregiver.
Attendance is limited, and advance registration is required. Please register every individual in your party, including kids. This will be used to save your spots in the program. We cannot guarantee availability for any unregistered attendees.
This event is held in-person. LA County Public Health strongly encourages masks and physical distancing indoors regardless of vaccination status. Masks will continue to be available for customers upon request. Please see the Guidelines for Attendees during the registration process for more information.
AGE GROUP: | Teens | Children |
EVENT TYPE: | Storytime |
TAGS: | African American & Black History Month |
Located in a shopping center from 1964 to 1974, the North Enterprise Branch became the A C Bilbrew Library with the opening of the present building on November 2, 1974. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn was instrumental in the library obtaining funding through a Model Neighborhood Development Program to build a 21,000 square foot library with a capacity to house 100,000 books. The library was designed by Vincent Proby, an African-American architect and is named for Madame A C Bilbrew, a community leader and former deputy for Supervisor Hahn who was also a musician and poet.
In 1933, Mrs. Bilbrew was the first black soloist to appear on radio, and in 1928, she produced the first Negro chorus that was featured in Hollywood's first Negro talkie, titled "Hearts in Dixie." She was the first black person to have a radio show. Mrs. Bilbrew was also a producer of pageants and dramas, an outstanding dramatic reader, and choral director.
A C Bilbrew Library houses the Black Resource Center which supports research and study on social, historical, musical, and cultural aspects unique to the "Black Experience" such as Juneteenth and Kwanzaa. From 1980-2008, A C Bilbrew Library has hosted the County Library's African American History Month Celebration. The "Living Black History Tribute" first honoree was Eubie Blake. This became the "African-American Living Legend" Series. Past Honorees have included Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, Coretta Scott King, and Ray Charles. An interactive Living Legends digital display is featured in the main lobby. The library is located in an unincorporated area west of the City of Compton.
