Biography

Harriet Tubman was born a slave. She and her brothers, Ben and Henry, escaped from slavery on September 17, 1849. When her brothers later decided to return to slavery, she followed, but not for long for she soon escaped again. Once free, she brought...

An award-winning author charts the poignant global journeys of African Americans as she explores her own transatlantic family odyssey in this powerful history of living abroad while Black. Part historical exploration, part travel memoir, Beyond the...

A powerful collection of autobiographical poems from Yale Young Poets Award Winner and Philadelphia's Poet Laureate Airea D. Matthews about the economics of class and its failures for those rendered invisible by it. As a former student of economics,...

An eloquently told personal account of an era of enormous cultural and political change, which reveals Harry Belafonte as not only one of America's greatest entertainers, but also one of our most profoundly influential activists. Harry Belafonte spent...

"A scrupulous biography."―Publishers Weekly "A fresh, incisive, and uplifting biography."―Kirkus Bill Mullen celebrates the personal and political life of the great American writer who refused to shy away from controversary and hate and...

The more you understand someone's history, the better you can see their humanity. This is true for individuals as well as for society at large. Race relations have suffered because of the erasure of important Black history and cultural context. As we...

America's African-Americans will identify their role models with this collection of inspiring and amazing stories that showcases 150 black heroes and heroines. These action-packed biographies and powerful illustrations document and highlight the major...

"Aisha Harris is one of our smartest, most entertaining modern cultural critics. The nine pieces offer insight on Stevie Wonder, the Spice Girls, Pen15, and New Girl--among many other pop artifacts, of course--which might as well be parlance for, 'Read...

A vividly told tale of a forgotten American hero--an impassioned newsman who fought for the right to speak out against slavery. The history of the fight for free press has never been more vital in our own time, when journalists are targeted as "enemies...

A "moving...dramatic" (David Ebershoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Danish Girl), and urgent call to action for immigration justice by a Nigerian asylee and global gay rights and immigration activist Edafe Okporo. On the eve of Edafe...

The moving story of the life of the woman behind A Raisin in the Sun, the most widely anthologized, read, and performed play of the American stage, by the New York Times bestselling author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper LeeWritten when she was just...

Families trapped in poverty and systemic injustices. Children denied civil rights because of race. A nation with immense potential for freedom spiraling into prejudice, violence, and hate. The country Frederick Douglass knew over one-hundred years ago...

What happens when DNA test results or traditional genealogy research reveal close family members you never knew about, or people you thought were blood family but aren't actually related, or kin from different races or religions? Kathy Marshall will...

Echoes of Black WomanhoodBy: Nettie Elizabeth JohnsonStarting from her earliest memories to present day, Nettie Johnson shares the ups and downs of her life. She explains the choices she has made, the influences she has caused, the obstacles she has...