#Celebrating African American Music & Artists
June is African American Music Appreciation Month! Created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, this month celebrates the African American musical influences. Formerly called National Black Music Month, this celebration of African American musical contributions is re-established annually by presidential proclamation.
Memorial Day weekend, Jacksonville comes together to celebrate Jazz music at the annual Jacksonville Jazz Festival. A uniquely American genre, Jazz originated in the South in the late 1800s and early 1900s with African Americans.
For over 40 years, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival has united music enthusiasts for a weekend of food, drinks, community, and, of course, music! Returning to its roots at Metropolitan Park and unveiling a fresh experience at the Daily’s Place Amphitheater, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival will fill the streets with beloved artists’ sweet sounds. This year, the festivities started with the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition on Thursday and will be followed by three days of FREE live music in Jacksonville’s Sports & Entertainment District.
Jacksonville Public Library has an AMAZING collection featuring stories, music, and information written by and about people from varied backgrounds, races, ethnicities, life experiences, and viewpoints. In June, the Library will highlight books, CDs, and more in our collection by and about African American musicians and music - including here on our blog and through book displays in your local library.
#Book Recommendations
We love to share selections that demonstrate the range of our collection all year and we encourage you to explore these books with us this month!
Let's get DUUUVAL reading!:
Are you participating in Mayor Deegan's River City Readers challenge? Through the Beanstack app, children and their caregivers will be able to log their reading minutes with an individual goal of reading at least 20 minutes per day, and a citywide goal of reading one million minutes in 2024. At the end of the year, the city’s top young readers will be given prizes!
Join the Challenge
- Go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Download and open the Beanstack Tracker app.
- You can also register and log your reading minutes on the Beanstack website at https://jaxpl.beanstack.com.
- Using the Find a Site search bar, type Jax Library or River City Readers
