More Than a Month, SFPL’s celebration of Black history and futures, is focused on the theme of “African Americans and the Arts”. Beginning on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday weekend, during Black History Month and throughout the year, the Library champions Black leaders and change makers in San Francisco and beyond.

The artwork for this year’s More than a Month celebration is a photograph by local artist Kenneth P. Green, Sr., the first Black photographer for Oakland Tribune (1968–1982). Green’s work is featured in the exhibition Toward a Black Aesthetic: Kenneth P. Green Sr.’s Photographs of the 1960s and 70s, which is on view at the Main Library from January 25 – April 21, 2024. The exhibition focuses on Green’s images of Black women, whose strength, intellect and beauty he recognized and paid homage to through his photographs, which also highlight the fashion and politics of the 1960s and 70s. Visitors will also recognize in Green’s photographs the artistry in which he captured the multifaceted and organic expression of the Black community in the Bay Area. Visit the African American Center, located on the 3rd floor of the Main Library, to see Green’s photographs of the 1972 African Liberation Day demonstration. Opening Reception, Thursday, Jan. 25, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Main Library, Jewett Gallery.

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