TRENTON, N.J.—February is Black History Month, and Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes invites residents to participate in any of the many events being held in celebration at Mercer County Library. “Black history is American history, and I encourage people of all ages to discover and learn about our differences while recognizing our harmony.”

Thursday, February 8, 7 p.m.

Learn about decades of local African American history. Presented by Beverly Mills, John and Elaine Buck. The three presenters serve on the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, as well as the Stoutburg Cemetery Association, John Buck as president for both organizations. Registration requested.

Hopewell Branch

Sunday, February 11, 2 p.m.

Join us in reading a passage from your favorite African American author in celebration of Black History Month. Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Hickory Corner Library.

Hickory Corner Branch

Black History Month Read-In

Thursday, February 15, 5:30 p.m.

Read or listen to excerpts from books by Black authors. Sponsored by the Friends of the West Windsor Library.

West Windsor Branch

Thursday, February 15, 7 p.m.

Logistics, a term used in private industry, the military and government, can be defined as the movement of personnel, resources and supplies.  In The Logistics of the Underground Railroad, Historian, Al Corbett uses his systems engineering background to discuss and explore the Underground Railroad as a complex, secret network of underestimated people and resources that aided in the liberation, emancipation and education of thousands of slaves. 

Lawrence Headquarters Branch

Thursday, February 15, 7 p.m.

Join us for our newly formed group, which celebrates the African-American author. This month we'll discuss contemporary African-American author, Alyssa Cole's An Extraordinary Union and A Hope Divided. Registration requested.

Hopewell Branch

Friday, February 16, 1 p.m.

I Am Not Your Negro (2016): (Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte). Rated PG-13; 93 minutes

Master documentary Filmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, using Baldwin’s original words and a flood of rich archival material.  A journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter.

Ewing Branch

Tuesday, February 20, 7 p.m.

Beginning in the mid-1700s Pleasant Valley in northwestern Hopewell Township has been the home to rural farm families. A variety of ethnic groups have provided families and individuals who have been farm owners or renters, agricultural laborers and domestic help, and skilled service providers. One such group has been the Black men and women who contributed to the agricultural history of Pleasant Valley and, thereby, Hopewell Township. Larry Kidder, renowned local historian, will address the experiences of Black Americans from the time of slavery into the 20th century, and how their story contributes to a fuller understanding of changes in our society as addition to the changes in New Jersey agriculture. Co-sponsored with the Hopewell Valley Historical Society. (Registration requested)

Hopewell Branch

Wednesday, February 21, 7 p.m.

A unique exploration of Baldwin’s groundbreaking literary and social justice work, presented by actor/comic Grant Cooper and scholar Dr. Lindsey Swindall, who will engage participants in an interactive dialogue that unravels the truths of racism in this country and examines other themes in Baldwin’s writings. This program is a Public Scholar Project program funded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Sponsored by the Friends of the Ewing Library.

Ewing Branch

Thursday, February 22, 7 p.m.

John Woolman, an abolitionist and a Quaker preacher, was born in 1720 and his family’s estate was located between Burlington City and Mount Holly. In this presentation Al Corbett, a researcher and history buff, particularly in the areas of African-American and 20^th-century African history, will discuss how Woolman’s essay “Some Considerations on the Keeping of Negros” and journey from New  Jersey to North Carolina helped create the moral environment to abolish slavery.

Lawrence Headquarters Branch

Black History Month Movies (No registration)

Sunday, February 4, 2 p.m.

The Long Walk Home (1990). Rated PG; 97 minutes

Friday, February 16, 2 p.m.

Gifted Hands (2009). Not Rated; 88 minutes

Sunday, February 18, 2 p.m.

The Rosa Parks Story (2003). Not Rated; 100 minutes

 Sunday, February 25, 2 p.m.

Hidden Figures (2016). Rated PG; 127 minutes

Hickory Corner Branch

 Thursday Movie Matinee

Thursday, February 8, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Fences (2016). Rated PG-13; 138 minutes

In 1950s Pittsburgh, a garbage collector named Troy Maxson—bitter that baseball’s color barrier was broken only after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues—takes his frustrations out on his loved ones.

West Windsor Branch

Sunday Afternoon at the Movies (for ages 18 & up) 

Sunday, February 11, 2 p.m.

The Color Purple (1985): (Whoopie Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover). Rated PG-13; 154 minutes

A black southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades.

Ewing Branch