(BLACK PR WIRE)(March 4, 2009) Only a handful of cities in America have a part of their public library system that is wholly devoted to African-American culture and history, and one of them is the Broward County African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In its short lifetime, the AARLCC has had many accomplishments to boast since opening in October 2002.

According to Broward.org, the Broward County government homepage, the AARLCC contains over 85,000 articles of African-American culture and history in the form of books, manuscripts, artifacts and other documents. Major exhibits, cultural programs, speakers, authors and celebrities have visited the people of south Florida through the center.

One notable group of items relating to the epic Roots television miniseries includes cast member photographs and eight unpublished manuscripts from Alex Haley. For more local history, there is the Council of Elders Collections, consisting of videotaped oral histories, photographs, journals and other memorabilia of the original residents of south Florida’s African-American and Caribbean neighborhoods.

The AARLCC owes a large part of its existence to the contributions and donations of local people and organizations. It also owes itself to the guests, both local and out-of-state, who receive inspiration by visiting. Come visit, and you may be inspired to start an African-American cultural center in your town.