General African American Studies

Finalist for the 1997 National Book Award for NonfictionJamaica Kincaid's brother Devon Drew died of AIDS on January 19, 1996, at the age of thirty-three. Kincaid's incantatory, poetic, and often shockingly frank recounting of her brother's life and...

"Don't play in the sun. You're going to have to get a light-skinned husband for the sake of your children as it is." In these words from her mother, novelist and memoirist Marita Golden learned as a girl that she was the wrong color. Her mother had...

Autobiography of a People is an insightfully assembled anthology of eyewitness accounts that traces the history of the African American experience. From the Middle Passage to the Million Man March, editor Herb Boyd has culled a diverse range of voices,...

The inspiring story of a Black doctor deeply affected by the violence in his childhood that plagued his Brooklyn community who was determined to be a force for change and dedicated himself to addressing trauma and violence as public health issues Rob...

A blazingly honest essay collection from a refreshing new voice exploring the in-between moments for Black women and girls, and what it means to simply exist   "At thirty-seven years old I can say Shenequa is a big name and I'm a big, bold woman...

A history of Black imagery and art that follows the unexpected story of Black culture from early film and photography to today's internet culture Images of blackness have become important in our understanding of the modern world because they reflect and...

African Americans have been part of the Vallejo mosaic since 1850, the year of the North Bay city's birth. John Grider, a Tennessee native and former slave who arrived in Vallejo in 1850, was one of the city's earliest residents and a veteran of the...

"In We Matter, Thomas strives to show the influence professional athletes can have when they join the conversation on race, politics, and civil rights. Thomas conducted 50 interviews, which included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Laila Ali, Michael...