Black History Month on the Web

African-American history is endlessly fascinating: it's the troubling, complex counterpoint to the sanitized, triumphalist version of American history so many of us were taught in school and that still appears in popular historical works. The Internet is a trove of riches on the black American experience.  Below are links to a small, eclectic sample of what's available online.

At the Library of Congress you can listen to, or read transcripts of, interviews conducted with former slaves during the 1930s. 

At the LOC website you'll also find memories of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement.

Last year, Nashville Public Radio compiled biographical sketches of seven black composers from the past 200 years, along with recorded excerpts from their works. 

Courtesy of the Smithsonian here is a splendid online gallery of African-American portraits.

And over at The Cooking Gene historian and chef Michael W. Twitty shares his thoughts on the intertwined histories of food and slavery.

And, finally, a list of books. A few years ago the staff of Bustle.com compiled a list of recommended works of African-American history.

Enjoy.