April Is Fair Housing Month
What is Fair Housing Month? In the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. riots gripped many of America's largest cities. During that time President Lyndon B. Johnson…
Black history
Explore History Through Graphic Novels
History doesn't have to be boring. It's full of ordinary people doing extraordinary things during extraordinary times in history. Uncovering these stories can be daunting when facing an enormous book…
[John Lewis speaking at a meeting of American Society of Newspaper Editors, Statler Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C.]
Read Biographies for Black History Month
February is Black History Month. This month honors the contributions of African Americans to American history - from our Colonial history up to the present. Here at Westlake Porter Public…
A Quick History of Black Cartoonists
American comic strips have been around for just over a century. The newspaper business took off around 1900, and comics were one way to draw more readers to the paper.…
George Washington Carver, seated on steps, with staff
Discover Black Inventors during Black History Month
Every February we celebrate the history and achievements of Black Americans and every February I learn something new. This year is no exception. While I knew about several of these…
The Classic of the Month: Beloved
Not all ghost are found in horror stories. And sometimes, that horror runs so deep that it's not even scary anymore...just a sickening numbness that leaves you unable to cry.…
Folklore Fun! African American Tales
This post was updated in April 2026 to reflect WPPL’s current collection. Where people go, stories follow. The African diaspora, unjustly facilitated by the brutal Atlantic Slave Trade, forcibly sent…
Juneteenth Titles
Juneteenth (June 19th) is now a federal holiday. This historic celebration commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, and marks the day when slaves in Galveston, Texas learned…