Storytelling to Mark Black History Month

An African American storyteller will help Las Virgenes Library celebrate Black History Month on Tuesday.

Binnie Tate Wilkin, dressed in African costume, will present African and African American folklore through word and dance.

Wilkin, the author of “Survival Themes in Fiction for Children and Young People,” a collection of short stories to help children deal with everyday problems, will spin tales of hardship faced by African Americans and their eventual triumph.

“She visited us last year and did an excellent program, and many people in the community asked to have her back,” said Donna Ferra, assistant to the children’s librarian at Las Virgenes.

Wilkin, a former librarian who has been telling stories to audiences for 10 years, said her program includes one of her stories, “Strong as a Mule,” about an African American man who struggles with life after slavery.

“He makes his living by sharecropping and is cheated at one point, but in the end he becomes something of a hero because he saves mules that have been beaten and are sickly,” she said. “That’s where the title comes from.”

Her free recital will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the library, 29130 W. Roadside Drive in Agoura Hills.

For more information, call the library at (818) 889-2278.