Black History

Honouring Black history and culture

Toronto Public Library honours Black History year round with programs, reading lists, and podcast episodes that shine a spotlight on Black heritage and culture.

Attend these upcoming events at branches across the city. Or join us for online programs.

Upcoming Events

Amadou Kienou & Adama Daou: West African Griot Music

Mon Apr 03, 2023 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Toronto Reference Library

A special night of West African music in the Appel Salon, featuring master drummer Amadou Kienou from Burkina Faso and Adama Daou from Mali. Distributed today between Guinea, Mali, northern Côte d'Ivoire, eastern S...
Poetry Saved Our Lives

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm on recurring dates listed below
Location: Kennedy/Eglinton

Coach Shelly Grace leads a series of workshops on poetry and spoken word. Develop your art and showcase your talents. Drop-in, no registration required. In the Youth Hub. Bio: Shelly Grace is a Toronto-based spoken...
Upcoming Dates:
- Wed Apr 12
- Wed Apr 19
- Wed Apr 26
- Wed May 03
- Wed May 10
Poetry Saved Our Lives

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm on recurring dates listed below
Location: Oakwood Village Library and Arts Centre

Coach Desiree Mckenzie leads a series of workshops on poetry and spoken word. Develop your art and showcase your talents. Drop-in, no registration required. Bio: Desiree Mckenzie is an award-winning poet, national...
Upcoming Dates:
- Wed Apr 12
- Wed Apr 19
- Wed Apr 26
- Wed May 03
- Wed May 10

All Events

Live and On-Demand Events

Check out upcoming Live & Online events and watch replays of past events you may have missed on the TPL Culture channel on Crowdcast.

Watch replays of past programs in our Black History series

Reading Lists

Black Voices

Videos

This video features a discussion on the importance of representation in literature, with Glory Edim, the founder of the popular book club Well Read Black Girl, and writers Jamia Wilson and Renée Watson. Moderated by writer Zalika Reid-Benta.

Explore our entire Black Voices YouTube playlist.

Podcast

Listen to these featured episodes, and discover more captivating conversations and archived recordings on our Live Mic and Writers Off the Page podcast series.

Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection

The Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection features over 18,000 books, DVDs, CDs, newspapers and magazines for adults, children, and teens. Materials focus on the Black and Caribbean historical and cultural experience, with a special emphasis on Canadian content.

Our Black History Image

Collage portrait of Dr. Rita Cox, made up of book covers and flowers.

This collage of Dr. Rita Cox was created to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection. Staff from the Maria A. Shchuka branch used images of book covers to design this imaginative homage to the collection’s namesake.

Support Heritage Collections

Help grow the Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection by donating to the Rita Cox Endowment Fund. Donate today at Toronto Public Library Foundation or at 416-393-7123.