Essential Reads

"His life informed us, his dreams sustain us yet."* On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial looking out over thousands of troubled Americans who had gathered in the name of civil rights and uttered his now famous...

Dr. Ben critically examines the history, beliefs, and myths that are the foundation of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. African Origins of the Major "Western Religions" first published in 1970, continues to be one of Dr. Ben's most thought-provoking...

This study focuses on the exploitive nature of the word ''Negro." Tracing its origins to the African slave trade, he shows how the label "Negro" was used to separate African descendants and to confirm their supposed inferiority.

An incisive and illuminating account of how, during the Algerian Revolution, the people of Algeria changed centuries-old cultural patterns and embraced certain ancient cultural practices long derided by their colonialist oppressors as primitive, in order...

David Walker's appeal is an uncompromising African-centered discourse that attacks white injustices and advocates Black self-reliance. Its publication in 1829 intensified the debate and struggle against slavery. Walker asserted the right of Black people...

Renowned American sociologist William Julius Wilson takes a look at the social transformation of inner city ghettos, offering a sharp evaluation of the convergence of race and poverty. Rejecting both conservative and liberal interpretations of life in...

This book provides advice to African American boys and men on how to survive encounters with police as well as providing ideas on how to think about interaction with police to lower the chances of escalation. Encounters with Police also provides...

In the 16th century, the beginning of African enslavement in the Americas until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment and emancipation in 1865, Africans were hunted like animals, captured, sold, tortured, and raped. They experienced the worst kind...

In 1933, American historian and educator Carter Woodson delivered a powerful denouncement of "Euro-centric" school curricula that inspired black Americans to demand relevant learning opportunities inclusive of their own culture and heritage. Similar...

Woodson's classic work of criticism explores how the education received by blacks has failed to give them an appreciation of themselves as a race and their contributions to history. Woodson puts forward a program that calls for the educated to learn...