Black Studies: Resources you can use from home
Door panel, Yoruba people, Nigeria circa 1910–1914
(permission via wikicommons)
Find out more about the Black Studies Program at San Diego City College
A list of Notable Black American is far too extensive to be included here. Below are just a few you may be interested in knowing that are not necessarily famous. A very small sampling:
In San Diego
Roberta Alexander: “Dr. Roberta Alexander, Professor Emeritus at San Diego City College, talks about her family background in California, her mixed-race heritage, and activist roots, including her time with the Black Panther Party.”
Black Pioneers in San Diego 1880 – 1920 from the San Diego Historical Society.
Blacks who shaped Julian, California. This Smithsonian Magazine article "The Trailblazing Black Entrepreneurs Who Shaped a 19th-Century California Boomtown" explores several people's lives and includes links to more detailed information.
Nathan Harrison: "A formerly enslaved man who became a California Legend". Be sure and also visit the online-virtual exhibit about this fascinating man here at the San Diego Historical Society
Beyond San Diego
6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion: "The 6888th was a multi-ethnic [World War II] unit that was predominantly Black with at least one Puerto Rican and Mexican woman."
Artists: African Americans artists in the National Gallery of Art such as the “paintings, photographs, works on paper, and sculpture ranging from a still-life painting by Robert Seldon Duncanson to modern and contemporary pieces by Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Alma Thomas, Sam Gilliam, Kara Walker, and more”
Ruby Bridges: “the first African American child to desegregate William Frantz Elementary School. At six years old…”
Gwendolyn Brooks: Pulitzer Prize Winner for Poetry
Celebrating 10 African-American medical pioneers from Association of American Medical Colleges
Christopher Emdin: Keynote speaker at the 2023 San Diego City College HUBU Conference. He "is a tenured professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education."
Mary Fields: Mail carrier “one of the toughest, most resilient residents of Cascade, Montana.”
Rudolph Fisher: “Physician and literary wit of the Harlem Renaissance”.
Earnest J. Gaines: Author, educator and "recipient of the National Humanities Medal, National Medal of the Art, Chavalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the government of France, and a National Books Critics Circle Award winner..." in addition to well over 20 other awards, degrees and honorary degrees.
Sam Gilliam: “One of the great innovators in post-war American painting.”
Nikole Hannah-Jones: 1619 Project lead.
Mary W. Jackson: “Aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations” Featured in the book/movie Hidden Figures.
Katherine G. Johnson: NASA mathematician. Featured in the book/movie Hidden Figures.
Little Richard: PBS American Masters states "The Beatles and The Rolling Stones supported him, and drew inspiration from his musicianship and stagecraft. He would go on to influence artists as diverse as David Bowie, Elton John, Michael Jackson and Prince, and he spent his career advocating for the rights of Black artists." Here is his page in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Gregory Robinson, James Webb Space Telescope Program Director and from New York Times July 11, 2022. He Fixed NASA’s Giant Space Telescope, Reluctantly.
Major Taylor, Champion bicyclist
Air Force Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal: “One of eight female pilots ever to fly the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and the only black female pilot in U-2 history.”
Dorothy Vaughn: “expert in digital computers and their applications in NASA programs.” Featured in the book/movie Hidden Figures.
Websites - free access - See San Diego and California specific resources below
San Diego and California Specific website:
Note: Check with your professor about the kind of resources acceptable for your paper or project.
Videos and Clips
A small sample from Films on Demand:
A small sample from Swank:
Access to City College streaming videos including Films on Demand and Swank is through our home page.
E-Books from our Databases
From our database page, scroll down to Gale e-Books and you will be able to search many quality encyclopedias all at once or individually including but NOT LIMITED TO
E-Books from our Library catalog
To search for e-books in City College Library Catalog, start on our home page.
NOTES
For City College Students: Access databases containing articles from newspapers, magazines, and peer-reviewed scholarly journals through our home page.
Specific Databases of Interest (Access these and explore the 65+ other databases such as and JStor and Academic Search Complete via the A-Z databases link on the library's home page.)
Get Help San Diego City College LIBRARY Home Page
For simple questions about the library, email us at citylib@sdccd.edu
Get help finding the books and articles you need via 24/7 chat or set up an in-person or zoom one-on-one or small groups with a librarian.
When open, come by the City College Library (R Building) and discuss what you need with a faculty-librarian at the Information Desk (reference). Or call us at 619-388-3288.
Learn how to do research. From the Library's homepage, click on Research Guides and then scroll down to
