Black Music Month

Turn up the volume this Black Music Month with DC Public Library! Throughout June, join us in honoring the rich history and enduring influence of Black music. From iconic artists of the past to the vibrant sounds shaping the present, attend exciting free concerts, author talks and screenings; check out recommended reads for all ages; stream unlimited music with your library card and more. We're proud to amplify the voices and stories that have shaped Black music. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn, engage, and celebrate!

Upcoming Events

See all Musical Performances at the Library

Carnival in de Capital

A Celebration of Caribbean Music, Culture and Community

Sunday, June 14 at 1:30 PM

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library

5 - 12 Years Old13 - 19 Years Old (Teens)Adults

90's Block Party

Celebrate Black Music Month & Father’s Day

Sunday, June 21 at 1:00 PM

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library

Adults

Sunday Matinee Movie at Woodridge Library

Sunday, June 21 at 2:00 PM

Woodridge Neighborhood Library

13 - 19 Years Old (Teens)AdultsSeniors

Black Music Month

Everything Centers on Gospel

Monday, June 22 at 5:00 PM

Shepherd Park (Juanita E. Thornton) Neighborhood Library

AdultsSeniors

Books for Kids

Nina: A Story of Nina Simone

Traci N. Todd

Trombone Shorty

Troy Andrews

When the Beat was Born

Laban Carrick Hill

Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar

Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

The Roots of Rap

Carole Boston Weatherford

Books for Teens

Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History

Jeff Chang with Dave "Davey D" Cook

The Beat! Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C.

Kip Lornell and Charles C. Stephenson, Jr.

Hendrix: Electric Requiem

Mattia Colombara & Gianluca Maconi

Legends of the Blues

William Stout

Sing and Shout: The Mighty Voice of Paul Robeson

Susan Goldman Rubin

Books for Adults

Black Punk Now

Chris L. Terry

The Come-Up The Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop

The Come-Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop

Jonathan Abrams

Supreme Sirens

Marcellas Reynolds

Soul Train: The Music, Dance and Style of a Generation

Questlove

The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America

Larry Tye

Research and Learn

Go-Go Archive

The Go-Go Archive captures both well-documented and lesser-known stories about D.C.'s official music, including record labels, houses, venues, festivals, record shops, radio stations and artists.

U Street Oral History Project - D.C.'s Cultural Corridor

The U Street Oral History Project gathers first-hand accounts of the historic U Street Corridor neighborhood from its heyday as “Black Broadway” in the 1920s and 1930s through the riots that devastated the area following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the present renewal.

Black Music Month Event Playlist

Stream panels featuring iconic artists like Yo-Yo, author talks about musical changemakers like Henry Threadgill and oral histories with local legends from the Go-Go scene on DC Public Library's Youtube Channel.

Jazz Music Library

The Jazz Music Library is the largest and most comprehensive collection of streaming jazz available online — with thousands of jazz artists, ensembles, albums, and genres.

African American Music Reference

Essays and images on blues, jazz, spirituals, gospel, ragtime, civil rights songs, rhythm and blues, hip hop and rap and other forms of African American musical expression.

Freegal Music+

Create your Black Music Month soundtrack with Freegal Music+! Download up to three songs a week and stream commercial-free music all day from popular labels including Sony Music.