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BOOK LIST:

African American History Month: Non-Fiction

Updated: February 29, 2024

A selected list of nonfiction books about African American history and the African American experience.


Book cover for African American Artists in Los Angeles: A Survey, Exhibition
African American Artists in Los Angeles: A Survey, Exhibition
Call Number: 709.794 A2585

Three exhibits (200 works) by African American artists (125) were shown between 2004 and 2005. All of the artists lived in LA, were trained in LA, or were educated in LA between 1945 to 2003. As each artist struggled to gain recognition from established institutions, they generated interest in their art that never before existed.


Book cover for The African American entrepreneur : then and now
The African American entrepreneur : then and now
Rogers, W. Sherman.
Call Number: 338.0973 R731
Highlights of the history of African American entrepreneurship in the United States from the 1600s to the present.

Book cover for African American families today : myths and realities
African American families today : myths and realities
Hattery, Angela.
Call Number: 301.45096 H366

Exposes many of the myths plaguing African American families.


Book cover for The African Americans : many rivers to cross
The African Americans : many rivers to cross
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr,
Call Number: 301.45096 G2585-8

This book is a companion to the PBS documentary DVD, and includes more detailed information about the 500-year history of people of African descent who have lived in the United States.


Book cover for African Americans in science, math, and invention
African Americans in science, math, and invention
Spangenburg, Ray, 1939-
Call Number: 509.73 S735 2012
This book is in encyclopedic format, A to Z, and covers the contributions of African Americans in science, mathematics and invention. Brief profiles of 162 African American astronauts, physicists, chemists, biologists, agricultural specialists and others, both living and deceased, are accompanied by recommendations for further readings

Book cover for Agent Josephine : American beauty, French hero, British spy
Agent Josephine : American beauty, French hero, British spy
Lewis, Damien
Call Number: 793.324 B167Le

As a performer Josephine Baker was an international sensation who broke many barriers, in particular racial. She was gorgeous, exuberant, rebellious and offbeat which was evident in all of her stage performances, and was also “a world class spy” during World War II.


Book cover for Bad feminist : essays
Bad feminist : essays
Gay, Roxane,
Call Number: 301.412 G2855
Being a feminist isn’t about being a perfect, platonic ideal of womanhood. Instead, Roxane Gay writes a series of essays about a feminism that acknowledges (and frequently examines) the individual pieces of her life and her experiences, allowing for inconsistencies and rough edges that grind against other aspects of her life and identity. The result is an autobiographical exploration of life and culture that is honest, compelling, and very, very funny.

Book cover for Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”
Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”
Hurston, Zora Neale
Call Number: 326.09 H966

This is the full harrowing, first-person narrative of one man's capture, enslavement, life as a slave and his life after emancipation. Zora Neale Hurston transcribed Kossula's remembrances in the original vernacular, as he recounted his experiences as a 19-year-old, in 1860, and how he was captured, tortured, chained, put on a slave ship and taken to a strange place. The date of his capture is important because it is a reminder that even the 1808 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves did nothing to stop the insidious practice of importing slaves to the United States.


Book cover for The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Call Number: 301.45096 C652

The journalist and social commentator describes his upbringing in 1980s Baltimore.


Book cover for Becoming
Becoming
Obama, Michelle, 1964-
Call Number: 92 O1166-1

With candor and class, former First Lady Michelle Obama recounts her personal life from growing up on the South Side of Chicago in a working class family; years of study at Princeton and Harvard; being a lawyer, a wife and mother; and the wife of the first African American President.


Book cover for Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women
Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women
Burton, Susan
Call Number: 351.765092 B974

Susan Burton's life took a dive into hell when her five-year-old son was killed by a van driving down her street. She began self-medicating, taking increasingly stronger illegal drugs, and for over fifteen years Burton was in and out of prison. By chance she found a private drug rehab facility and turned her life around. Through her organization, A New Way of Life, Ms. Burton is now an advocate for formerly incarcerated women.


Book cover for Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and It’s Urgent Lessons for Our Own
Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and It’s Urgent Lessons for Our Own
Glaude, Eddie S., Jr.
Call Number: 323.1 G552

By looking at the life, struggles and work of James Baldwin, Princeton professor Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., reminds us that the fight for equitable change is always with us. Baldwin's brilliant insights are matched by Glaude's brilliant ability to bring new light to old problems, and that complacency and weariness are not acceptable.


Book cover for Between the World and Me
Between the World and Me
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Call Number: 301.45096 C652-1

Considered by none other than Toni Morrison to be “required reading,” Coates' collection of essays delves into what it means to be black in American society. Intimate and personal, yet far-reaching in its criticisms, this book’s unflinching honesty takes the status quo to task. Coates examines race and racism in America, both past and present, through the lens of his own full-life experience, in this open letter to his son.


Book cover of The Black Angels : the untold story of the nurses who helped cure tuberculosis
The Black Angels : the untold story of the nurses who helped cure tuberculosis
Smilios, Maria
Call Number: 616.009 S641

Covering the Great Depression through World War II, this history documents the contributions made by Black nurses, who risked their lives in helping to combat tuberculosis. 

 

Book cover for Black firsts : 4,000 ground-breaking and pioneering historical events
Black firsts : 4,000 ground-breaking and pioneering historical events
Call Number: 301.45096 B6275-13 2013

An in-depth resource about African American achievements.


Book cover for Black freedom fighters in steel : the struggle for democratic unionism
Black freedom fighters in steel : the struggle for democratic unionism
Needleman, Ruth, 1945-
Call Number: 331.63 N375
Examines the perseverance of African American steel workers in Indiana and their fight for unionism and economic and racial justice.

Book cover for The Black history of the White House
The Black history of the White House
Lusane, Clarence, 1953-
Call Number: 301.45096 L968-1
A fascinating history of the White House from an African American perspective, covering such topics as slavery, the abolitionist movement, and African American White House staff.

Book cover for Black wings : courageous stories of African Americans in aviation and space history
Black wings : courageous stories of African Americans in aviation and space history
Hardesty, Von, 1939-
Call Number: 629.130973 H259-1
Richly illustrated with photographs and color poster reproductions, this coffee table book by curator Von Hardesty of the National Air and Space Museum, recounts the lives and contributions of African American aviators and astronauts. There is a chapter on the Tuskegee Airmen, subject of a recent

Book cover for Bloods, an oral history of the Vietnam War
Bloods, an oral history of the Vietnam War
Call Number: 959.7 B6555
A series of gripping first-person accounts from African American soldiers who served in the Vietnam War and the effects the experience had on their lives once they returned home.

Book cover for Blues all day long : the Jimmy Rogers story
Blues all day long : the Jimmy Rogers story
Goins, Wayne E,
Call Number: 789.14 R7267Go

This is a long overdue appreciation and history about a blues guitar great. Based on numerous hours of interviews with family members and musicians, and in-depth research that includes information about Chess Records and other musicians of the day.


Book cover for Bound for Freedom: Black Los Angeles in Jim Crow America
Bound for Freedom: Black Los Angeles in Jim Crow America
Flamming, Douglas
Call Number: 979.41 L881Fl

Many African Americans migrated to Los Angeles during the first half of the 20th century in search of a better life, but frequently encountered segregated schools, racially restrictive housing covenants, and institutionalized racism. Flamming chronicles Los Angeles's black community and the fight for civil rights in Los Angeles through the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, and World War II.


Book cover for Breathe: A Letter to My Sons
Breathe: A Letter to My Sons
Perry, Imani
Call Number: 301.45096 P463

Reflecting on African American life, culture and contributions, which are currently confronted by modern racism and violence, Imani Perry writes a letter of exultation and caution to her two sons. Generous in scope and thought, her words speak to all of us, no matter who we are, to do and be better.


Book cover for Brotherhoods of color : black railroad workers and the struggle for equality
Brotherhoods of color : black railroad workers and the struggle for equality
Arnesen, Eric.
Call Number: 331.7656 A748
A history of African American labor activism and experiences working on the railroads.

Book cover for Caste: The Origins of our Discontents
Caste: The Origins of our Discontents
Wilkerson, Isabel
Call Number: 323.30973 W681

This is a compelling examination of America's history of racism and injustice through the lens of caste systems, comparing American society to caste systems of Indian and Nazi Germany. The connections are startling, disturbing,awakening and offer us a different framework and vocabulary to come to terms with the fractures in our society today.


Book cover for The chiffon trenches : a memoir
The chiffon trenches : a memoir
Talley, André Leon
Call Number: 746.52 T148-2

André Leon Talley is one of the best educated fashion journalists, who has been analyzing and reporting about fashion for over 40 years. And, he has seen it all, and then some. Without pettiness or anger, he melds memoir and fashion history.


Book cover for Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality
Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality
Brown-Nagin, Tomiko
Call Number: 347.092 M919Br

Among the many “firsts” in the life of Constance Baker Motley, she was the first Black woman appointed as a federal judge and the first Black woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Throughout her life, she fought for equality and justice for all and knew that inequality of any type was a barrier to freedom of expression


Book cover for Civil rights and the promise of equality : photographs from the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Civil rights and the promise of equality : photographs from the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Call Number: 323.4 C5826-11

Offers a historical look through photographs celebrating civil rights and equality for all Americans.

 

Book cover for Comeback season : my unlikely story of friendship with the greatest living Negro League baseball pla
Comeback season : my unlikely story of friendship with the greatest living Negro League baseball pla
Perron, Cam, 1994-
Call Number: 796.23109 P459

Sometimes it takes a person way out in left field, filled with passion, to bring attention where needed. Cam Perron was just that person, who helped bring long overdue recognition to professional Negro League Baseball players. Along the way he formed some wonderful friendships with many players.


Book cover for The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland
The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland
Thompson-Hernández, Walter
Call Number: 978 T478

What are cowboys, with stables, horses, and riding gear, doing in the city? These friends are doing good things for themselves and the community, by putting the kibosh on racial and neighborhood stereotypes, and instilling a sense of purpose and pride in children, teens, and adults.


Book cover for The contested murder of Latasha Harlins : justice, gender, and the origins of the LA riots
The contested murder of Latasha Harlins : justice, gender, and the origins of the LA riots
Stevenson, Brenda E.
Call Number: 343.1 D812St
The story of the 1991 murder trial of a 15-year-old African American girl shot by a Korean liquor store owner for shoplifting a bottle of orange juice, and the Jewish judge who sentenced the shooter “to probation, community service and a $500 fine.”  This trial was the start of what led to the 1992 LA riots following the Rodney King verdict.

Book cover for Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II
Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II
Mullenbach, Cheryl
Call Number: 940.5315326 M958

Meet the war correspondents, Red Cross workers, activists, entertainers, and others who did extraordinary things to help their country during World War II.

 

Book cover for A dreadful deceit : the myth of race from the colonial era to Obama's America
A dreadful deceit : the myth of race from the colonial era to Obama's America
Jones, Jacqueline, 1948-
Call Number: 323.1 J775

Historian Jacqueline Jones traces the lives of six African Americans to illustrate that the idea of "race" in America is purely a myth.

 

Book cover for Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock
Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock
Margolick, David
Call Number: 371.974 M329

With the goal of becoming a lawyer, fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Eckford was selected as one of nine black students to integrate the all-white Little Rock Central High School in 1957.  On the first day of classes the eight other students were advised to arrive at school as a group escorted by local ministers, but without a telephone Elizabeth never received word about this plan.  As she stoically approached the campus by herself, she was mobbed by adult segregationists who hurled the most hateful and violent racial epithets at her.  An iconic photograph captured white student Hazel Bryan, also fifteen, spewing venom at Elizabeth.  Years later Hazel contacted Elizabeth to apologize, and for a time, the two women formed a friendship.


Book cover for Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments From My Life
Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments From My Life
Jemison, Mae
Call Number: 629.450092 J49

Dr, Mae Jemison is an engineer, physician, and was a member of the Peace Corps and a NASA astronaut. In 1992 she was the first African American woman astronaut to travel in space. She is the principal of The 100 Year Starship organization, and has written a book for children about the program.


Book cover for First class : the legacy of Dunbar, America's first Black public high school
First class : the legacy of Dunbar, America's first Black public high school
Stewart, Alison, 1966-
Call Number: 373.73 D898St

Dunbar, which was an academically elite public school that produced highly educated and high-achieving Black Americans in the first half of the twentieth century, now struggles like many other urban schools. Journalist Alison Stewart recounts Dunbar’s rise, fall and current revival.


Book cover for Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way
Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way
Gaines, Caseen
Call Number: 812.09 G1422

A show-stopping theatrical history about contributions made by artists of color, beginning with the story of the 1921 Broadway hit, Shuffle Along, whose influence continues today, and was created and performed by people of color. The creative team behind that hit fought, incorporated, endured and overcame every type of impediment: the Spanish Flu pandemic, Prohibition, the 1929 Stock Market Crash, the Great Depression and World Wars I and II. During the twentieth century, in the theatrical world, as elsewhere, artists of color were challenged by prejudice and what white audiences expected of them.


Book cover for For jobs and freedom : race and labor in America since 1865
For jobs and freedom : race and labor in America since 1865
Zieger, Robert H.
Call Number: 331.63 Z66
Discusses the efforts and struggles of African Americans working for racial and labor equality throughout different periods in American history.

Book cover for Forgotten : the untold story of D-Day's Black heroes, at home and at war
Forgotten : the untold story of D-Day's Black heroes, at home and at war
Hervieux, Linda,
Call Number: 940.5315326 H579

The untold story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion of African-American soldiers, whose contributions to the D-Day landing is documented through interviews and military records. 

 

Book cover for Freedom flyers : the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II
Freedom flyers : the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II
Moye, J. Todd.
Call Number: 940.544973 M938
As director of the National Park Service's Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project, Moye helped to conduct over 800 interviews with Tuskegee Airmen and others who worked at the Tuskegee Army Air Field from 1941-1945. Their stories, in their own words, are told here.

Book cover for Ghettoside : a true story of murder in America
Ghettoside : a true story of murder in America
Leovy, Jill.
Call Number: 364.973 L588

Leovoy outlines a “ghettoside” killing (slaying of a young black man by another) in South Los Angeles, and the dedicated detective who pursues the assailant. This book follows the case and uses it to explore larger sociological questions about crime and policing.

 


Book cover for The grace of silence : a memoir
The grace of silence : a memoir
Norris, Michele.
Call Number: 071.092 N857
Interested in the national conversation about race in the wake of Barack Obama's election, journalist and co-host of NPR's All Things Considered Michele Norris set out to investigate her family's own past. In the process, she learns about many things that her family never talks about.

Book cover for The Great Black Way : L.A. in the 1940s and the lost African-American Renaissance
The Great Black Way: L.A. in the 1940s and the Lost African-American Renaissance
Smith, R. J., 1959-
Call Number: 301.45096 S657

Smith shows how Los Angeles's Central Avenue was a hub for artistic, political, and civic life for African Americans in the 1940s.


Book cover for The ground breaking : an American city and its search for justice
The ground breaking : an American city and its search for justice
Ellsworth, Scott (Historian)
Call Number: 309.76686 E47-1

More than a history of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, Scott Elsworth recounts the more than fifty year suppression of what took place. This horrific racial tragedy was made real by solid investigative journalism, criminal investigation, archaeological methods, and by people who would not allow this history and their memory of it to pass from our collective memory and history.


Book cover for A Handful of Earth, a Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia Butler
A Handful of Earth, a Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia Butler
George, Lynell
Call Number: 813 B986Ge

A book that is as unusual in format and style as is its subject, Octavia Butler. This work is based on the research done by Lynell George, who had access to Butler's archive of more than 300 boxes, housed at The Huntington Library. Butler saved so much, and there are clues to the history of her life, how she created, and what it was like to be a woman of color during her time. The timing of this book's publishing is a match for the incredible work being done at the Los Angeles Public Library's Octavia Lab.


Book cover for The handy African American history answer book
The handy African American history answer book
Smith, Jessie Carney, 1930-
Call Number: 301.45096 S6513

An excellent resource covering “people, times, and events” that impacted African American history.


Book cover for A hard road to glory : a history of the African-American athlete
A hard road to glory : a history of the African-American athlete
Ashe, Arthur.
Call Number: 796.00973 A824
In 1983, Arthur Ashe was asked to teach a course, The Black Athlete in Contemporary Society, at Florida Memorial College's Center for Community Change. Because he could not find the resources needed, Ashe researched and wrote this three-volume history which covers the history of sports in ancient civilizations and the historical achievements of African American athletes who overcame racist obstacles from the seventeenth century through the twentieth century. This monumental work includes narrative explanations and numerous chronological charts for major sports.

Book cover for Her dream of dreams : the rise and triumph of Madam C.J. Walker
Her dream of dreams : the rise and triumph of Madam C.J. Walker
Lowry, Beverly.
Call Number: 668.52092 W177Low

Madam C. J. Walker was the first African American woman millionaire. She developed a line of hair products specifically created for African American women. Born in 1867 on a plantation, her rags to riches story is filled with her ability to overcome personal and racial obstacles.


Book cover for Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
Lee Shetterly, Margot
Call Number: 510.973 L481

During and after World War II among the female human computers, who were subsumed within aeronautics, there was another group of female human computers who were submerged because they were African Americans. This book recounts the lives of some of those African American women who worked as calculators, and then as mathematicians and engineers for NASA and its precursors. This is their story, at long last revealed, as the author shines a light on the stellar work of a group of African American women, whose contributions were not fully known by enough people.

 

 


Book cover for How I shed my skin : unlearning the racist lessons of a Southern childhood
How I shed my skin : unlearning the racist lessons of a Southern childhood
Grimsley, Jim, 1955-
Call Number: 371.974 G865

Jim Grimsley was only eleven years old when federally mandated integration of schools went into effect. In this coming-of-age memoir, he reflects on his own childhood prejudices and what he learned about race from his family and community.

 


Book cover for Hunger : a memoir of (my) body
Hunger : a memoir of (my) body
Gay, Roxane,
Call Number: 136 G285

Roxane Gay subconsciously dealt with an unspeakable sexual assault in her youth by eating, rendering herself invisible behind her own flesh. Now, decades later, Gay is morbidly obese and learning the myriad ways this world is not made for fat people. Written with her characteristic candor, this memoir devastates and unsettles with every turned page.


Book cover for The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
Skloot, Rebecca, 1972-
Call Number: 610.71 S628
Explore issues of bioethics, racism, poverty, science, and faith in this investigation into the origins of a line of cells that has and continues to be instrumental to biological and medical research.

Book cover for Invisible : the forgotten story of the black woman lawyer who took down America's most powerful mobster
Invisible : the forgotten story of the black woman lawyer who took down America's most powerful mobster
Carter, Stephen L., 1954-
Call Number: 810.92 C325

Stephen Carter's biography is about his grandmother and lawyer, Eunice Hunton Carter, who overcame gender and racial prejudice. In the legal profession she was a force to be reckoned with, having put together a plan to take down Lucky Luciano, head of the Mafia.  During the 1940s she was the most famous African American women in the United States,
 


Book cover for Isn't her grace amazing? : the women who changed gospel music
Isn't her grace amazing? : the women who changed gospel music
Wills, Cheryl
Call Number: 789.1 W741

A long overdue and fitting tribute to twenty-five women who made major contributions to the world of Gospel music. Interviews and extensive research gives these women their proper place in the history of world music.


Book cover for Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Stevenson, Bryan
Call Number: 347.092 S847

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, recounts one of his first cases, Walter McMillian, a young man sentenced to die for a murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The author straightforwardly tells of his experience as a lawyer defending, among others, those on death row, those too harshly punished for crimes committed when they were children, and those victimized by a system that rewards wealth. This book, makes the case in the process, for a reformation of our country’s way of dealing justice.


Book cover for King in the wilderness
King in the wilderness
Call Number: DVD 323.4092 K53Ki-1

A significant documentary that follows Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last three years of life. The film " ... unearths a stirring new perspective into Dr. King's character, his radical doctrine of nonviolence, and his internal philosophical struggles prior to his death, inviting a sense of penetrating intimacy and insight into one of the most profound thinkers of our time." His final years were a time of conflict for King, within the African American community and elsewhere, because his nonviolence was seen as a hindrance to progress, and his anti-Vietnam War opinions were seen as divisive.


Book cover for Lanterns : a memoir of mentors
Lanterns : a memoir of mentors
Edelman, Marian Wright.
Call Number: 323.4092 E21

Marian Wright Edelman is the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund. She has long been an advocate for the rights of children, in particular those who cannot speak for themselves because of poverty, abuse and discrimination. Her memoir is a celebratory homage to those who mentored her throughout her life.


Book cover for Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina
Copeland, Misty
Call Number: 793.324 C782

Misty Copeland overcame the odds of a dysfunctional home, racism, and a late start with ballet lessons to become a star and soloist with American Ballet Theatre. No matter what the odds, obstacles, or pain, in life and in ballet, her autobiography conveys her indomitable spirit and passion for dance.


Book cover for The life and times of Biddy Mason, from slavery to wealthy Californian landowner.
The life and times of Biddy Mason, from slavery to wealthy Californian landowner.
Mungen, Donna.
Call Number: 979.41 L881Mun

The first African American woman to own land in California, Biddy Mason was born into slavery in 1818, but won her freedom in a Los Angeles court and purchased a homestead between Broadway and Spring Streets. When she died in 1891, she was one of the wealthiest women and most notable philanthropists in Los Angeles. 


Book cover for Lorraine Hansberry : the life behind A raisin in the sun
Lorraine Hansberry : the life behind A raisin in the sun
Shields, Charles J., 1951-
Call Number: 812 H2485Sh

This new biography on the groundbreaking African-American playwright, Lorraine Hansberry, details her involvement in civil rights activism, queer activism and left-wing politics before her tragic demise from cancer. Hansberry's upbringing inspired her classic play, A Raisin in the Sun, including her family's involvement in some controversial real estate practices.


Book cover for Malcolm X : a life of reinvention
Malcolm X : a life of reinvention
Marable, Manning, 1950-2011.
Call Number: 322.4092 X1Mar
This is a new biography using recently declassified FBI documents and archival materials from the Nation of Islam - a significant and eye-opening contribution to the field of scholarship on Malcolm X.

Book cover for The man from Essence : creating a magazine for Black women
The man from Essence : creating a magazine for Black women
Lewis, Edward, 1940-
Call Number: 051.092 L673

Essence is a successful monthly magazine for African American women. Cofounder Edward Lewis' inspirational autobiography recounts his struggles from a poor childhood to his achievement as a major businessman. He does not gloss over the problems in running a large corporation.


Book cover for Market women : black women entrepreneurs--past, present, and future
Market women : black women entrepreneurs--past, present, and future
Smith, Cheryl A., 1945-
Call Number: 658.31242 S644
Smith provides a unique, current examination of African American business women by interviewing 19 women and their business ventures.  Also, includes a discussion of the historical business ventures and the economic life of African American women in the Colonial Era.

Book cover for Marshalling justice : the early civil rights letters of Thurgood Marshall
Marshalling justice : the early civil rights letters of Thurgood Marshall
Marshall, Thurgood, 1908-1993.
Call Number: 347.092 M3686-1
This collection of letters written between 1935 and 1957 illustrate Marshall's legal work leading up to his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Book cover for Mighty justice : my life in civil rights
Mighty justice : my life in civil rights
Roundtree, Dovey Johnson, 1914-2018,
Call Number: 347.092 R859

Dovey Johnson Roundtree was an African American civil rights leader and activist, an attorney and an ordained minister.  She overcame discriminatory obstacles and became a lawyer who for civil rights for African Americans. In 1955, along with her law partner, Julius Winfield Robinson, they won a case presented to the Interstate Commerce Commission that helped overturn Jim Crow laws.


Book cover for My song : a memoir
My song : a memoir
Belafonte, Harry, 1927-
Call Number: 789.14 B425-1
My Song recounts Harry Belafonte's seven-decade entertainment career, his life as a social activist, and his experiences as a father and husband. Mr. Belafonte does not mince words when describing his experiences with racial oppression and his encounters with the powerful and privileged.

Book cover for Negroland: A Memoir
Negroland: A Memoir
Jefferson, Margo
Call Number: 301.45096 J45
 
Margo Jefferson shares her autobiographical account of growing up within a unique niche of society: the Black elite of upper-crust Chicago.

Book cover for On Juneteenth
On Juneteenth
Gordon-Reed, Annette
Call Number: 326.09764 G6655

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that celebrates the freedom of enslaved peoples at the end of the Civil War. The collection of essays are primarily based on historical research written by Annette Gordon-Reed (historian, lawyer, law professor, multi-award-winning writer, and native-born Texan). However, these essays thoughtfully weave together personal remembrances and history because Gordon-Reed is a native Texan and Black woman, whose family has roots going back to the 1820s and 1860s.


Book cover for The one : the life and music of James Brown
The one : the life and music of James Brown
Smith, R. J., 1959-
Call Number: 789.14 B8777Sm
As much as Aretha Franklin is The Queen, James Brown is known as The One. That "one" refers to more than his being the one and only, it refers to a certain type of beat/rhythm/philosophy. His roots were in South Carolina, the culture of black slaves and white racism. This new biography delves into the life of a very complex man and musician.

Book cover for Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy of Style
Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy of Style
Hudson, Karen E.
Call Number: 720.914 W726Hu folio

Paul R. Williams was the first African American member and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He designed all types of buildings in a variety of styles, from conservative to modern. He lived and practiced in Los Angeles for 50 years.


Book cover for The problem of slavery in the age of emancipation
The problem of slavery in the age of emancipation
Davis, David Brion.
Call Number: 326.0973 D261-4

The conclusion of Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Brion Davis’ trilogy on slavery in Western culture that covers the period from the Haitian Revolution to the Thirteenth Amendment.


Book cover for A promised land
A promised land
Obama, Barack
Call Number: 92 O116-4

Former President Barack Obama's memoir is his most revealing and honest look at his personal and professional life.  He writes openly about his wife and daughters and how being President affected all their lives. Most importantly he expresses his concerns for the future of the United States and the world.


Book cover for Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
Morris, Monique W., 1972-
Call Number: 371.97 M877

Black girls account for more than one in every three girls arrested in schools, and just under one in every three girls referred to law enforcement. This despite the fact that only about one in every seven female students is black. Monique W. Morris explores the myriad ways that black girls are being unfairly criminalized in schools and allowed to fail and/or fall through the cracks.

 

Book cover for Queen Bess : daredevil aviator
Queen Bess : daredevil aviator
Rich, Doris L.
Call Number: 629.13092 C692Ri

Bessie Coleman was the first African American woman aviatrix in. Her biography is as exciting and daring as her flying stunts at airshows.


Book cover for Seeing the unspeakable : the art of Kara Walker
Seeing the unspeakable : the art of Kara Walker
Shaw, Gwendolyn DuBois, 1968-
Call Number: 709.0407 W181Sh

Artist Kara Walker has used silhouettes in a pioneering and innovative form to express social and political commentary about sex, race, violence and injustice. Initially some images appear to be recognizable, and others may look like Rorschach tests, but all of the silhouettes demand closer inspection. Viewers are never unmoved by Walker's art, with favorable and unfavorable criticism which crosses race, class, gender and age.
 


Book cover for Shocking the conscience : a reporter's account of the civil rights movement
Shocking the conscience : a reporter's account of the civil rights movement
Booker, Simeon, 1918-
Call Number: 323.40973 B724

The story of Simeon Booker, the Washington Bureau chief of Jet, and his coverage of every major event that helped galvanize the civil rights revolution.

 


Book cover for Shout, sister, shout! : the untold story of rock-and-roll trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Shout, sister, shout! : the untold story of rock-and-roll trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Wald, Gayle, 1965-
Call Number: 789.14 T367Wa

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is well-known as the godmother of rock 'n roll who mixed religious and secular styles which angered gospel singers in more conservative churches. In the 1920s she sang at The Cotton Club and Café Society. Despite the efforts of singers like Eric Clapton, B. B. King, and Johnny Cash, she has yet to be inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.  Here are some examples of her style from YouTube:

"That's All!"

"Precious Memories" 

 


Book cover for Showdown : Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court nomination that changed America
Showdown : Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court nomination that changed America
Haygood, Wil,
Call Number: 347.092 M3686Hay

This biography details the life and career of Thurgood Marshall through the lens of his contentious five-day Senate confirmation.


Book cover for Silent covenants : Brown v. Board of Education and the unfulfilled hopes for racial reform
Silent covenants : Brown v. Board of Education and the unfulfilled hopes for racial reform
Bell, Derrick A.
Call Number: 371.974 B433
Derrick A. Bell, the first tenured black professor at Harvard, analyzes the continuing repercussions and negative impact of this landmark Supreme Court ruling on the educational needs of African American children.

Book cover for Sing for your life : a story of race, music, and family
Sing for your life : a story of race, music, and family
Bergner, Daniel,
Call Number: 789.14 G7975Be

In 2011 Ryan Speedo Green won the New York Metropolitan Opera's national competition. How he got there is a celebratory story of how a young African American man overcame violence and hopelessness. Check out his website.


Book cover for Sisters in science : conversations with black women scientists about race, gender, and their passion for science
Sisters in science : conversations with black women scientists about race, gender, and their passion for science
Call Number: 509.73 S6235
Prefaced with a brief historical introduction, a timeline and several statistical tables, this book has as its centerpiece the author's in-depth interviews with eighteen prominent African American women scientists. The author, Dr. Diann Jordan, is a professor of biology at Alabama State University.

Book cover for Something must be done about Prince Edward County : a family, a Virginia town, a civil rights battle
Something must be done about Prince Edward County : a family, a Virginia town, a civil rights battle
Green, Kristen (Journalist),
Call Number: 371.974 G796

After the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling, Virginia’s Prince Edward County refused to desegregate, choosing to lock and chain its doors and remain closed for five years instead. Author Kristen Green recounts stories of families divided by the school closures and in the process, learns of her own family’s role.

 


Book cover for The sound of freedom : Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the concert that awakened America
The sound of freedom : Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the concert that awakened America
Arsenault, Raymond.
Call Number: 789.14 A548Ar

In 1939, Marian Anderson was to perform at Howard University, which did not have space to accomodate a large event. Constitution Hall was a possible venue, owned by the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), but their contract had a "white-artist-only clause" with segregated seating in the concert hall. They refused to book the singer. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a member of the DAR, sent a letter of resignation and wrote about it in her weekly column. Raymond Arsenault documents where internationally acclaimed opera singer Marian Anderson's concert was performed, in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.


Book cover for Stand Up Straight and Sing!
Stand Up Straight and Sing!
Norman, Jessye
Call Number: 789.14 N842

A true diva is a distinguished female opera singer who strives for the best in her own work and expects the same from everyone with whom she works in order to create a marvelous experience for an audience. Jessye Norman is the full embodiment of a diva on stage and off, always striving for the best in life and art. 

On May 15, 2014, Jessye Norman was a guest at Aloud, and you can hear the podcast.


Book cover for Suspicion nation : the inside story of the Trayvon Martin injustice and why we continue to repeat it
Suspicion nation : the inside story of the Trayvon Martin injustice and why we continue to repeat it
Bloom, Lisa.
Call Number: 352.209759 B655
 
NBC News analyst Lisa Bloom examines the six biggest mistakes made by Florida prosecutors as well as the racial biases underlying the case.

Book cover for This will be my undoing : living at the intersection of black, female, and feminist in (white) America
This will be my undoing : living at the intersection of black, female, and feminist in (white) America
Jerkins, Morgan,
Call Number: 301.412973 J55

The first essay in Morgan Jerkins’ debut collection is a story about how, as a young black schoolgirl, she had been rejected by the cheerleading squad because “they don’t accept monkeys like you on the team.” And thus begins a no-holds-barred catechism of what life is like for African-American girls and women. You’re gonna want to take notes. 


Book cover for Twisted : my dreadlock chronicles
Twisted : my dreadlock chronicles
Ashe, Bert.
Call Number: 301.45096 A824

Professor and author Bert Ashe chronicles his decision to dreadlock his hair and through the process, discovers the nuances of black identity and the complexities of race and politics


Book cover of Walk through fire
Walk through fire
Johnson, Sheila, 1949-
Call Number: 658.31242 J69

Sheila Johnson is the co-founder of BET; the first African American woman billionaire; the only Black woman to be co-owner of three professional sports teams; and founder of the Salamander Hotels and Resorts. Her successfull life and achievements have been hard-won as she overcame racism, sexism and tragedies.


Book cover for The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Wilkerson, Isabel.
Call Number: 301.45096 W681

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wilkerson examines the migration of nearly 6 million African Americans from the South for the North and the West between World War I and the 1970s through the stories of three individuals: Ida Mae Gladney, who left rural Mississippi for Chicago in the 1930s; George Swanson Starling, who set out for Harlem in the 1940s; and Robert Joseph Pershing Foster, who became a Los Angeles physician after leaving Louisiana in the 1950s.


Book cover for We ain't what we ought to be : the Black freedom struggle, from emancipation to Obama
We ain't what we ought to be : the Black freedom struggle, from emancipation to Obama
Tuck, Stephen G. N.
Call Number: 323.40973 T889
In this engaging narrative, Tuck places special emphasis on little-known figures and events in the struggle for civil rights in the United States.

Book cover for When they call you a terrorist : a Black lives matter memoir
When they call you a terrorist : a Black lives matter memoir
Khan-Cullors, Patrisse.
Call Number: 301.45096 K4455

Artist, intellectual, and organizer from Sherman Oaks, CA co-founded a global movement with a hashtag #Black Lives Matter in response to the acquittal granted to George Zimmerman after his murder of Trayvon Martin. A memoir of one person’s drive to make the world better for people of color, provoked by the her daily fear for her brother and the harsh realities of being a black man in America. Patrisse Khan-Cullors intimately shows the reader her fight to preserve the dignity and respect for the people she loves and respects.

 

Book cover for Where everybody looks like me : at the crossroads of America's Black colleges and culture
Where everybody looks like me : at the crossroads of America's Black colleges and culture
Stodghill, Ron.
Call Number: 371.974 S869

A report of the various threats America's historic black colleges and universities are facing and how various stakeholders, including administrators, celebrities and alumni, are fighting to keep the schools alive.


Book cover for Where we find ourselves : the photographs of Hugh Mangum, 1897-1922
Where we find ourselves : the photographs of Hugh Mangum, 1897-1922
Mangum, Hugh, 1877-1922, photographer.
Call Number: 770.914 M2775

Portrait photographer Hugh Mangum worked in North Carolina and the Virginias in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Traveling from town to town during a time of brutal segregation he took photos of everyone: black and white, rich and poor.  Where We Find Ourselves has beautiful reproductions of Hugh Mangum's photographs, as well as excellent essays about Mangum's life and North Carolina's cultural and political landscape at that time.

 

Book cover for You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain
You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain
Robinson, Phoebe,
Call Number: 817 R663

One of the big takeaways from the controversy over the Black Lives Matter movement is how little the average non-black person understands the daily, lived realities of African-Americans. Enter Phoebe Robinson. With disarming and often knee-slapping humor, the actress-writer-comedian offers a glimpse into the myriad unseen ways that blacks and other POCs (people of color) are othered, marginalized, or discriminated against on a daily basis, from being followed around in stores, to being expected to field intrusive questions and speak for the entirety of the black race, to the titular invasion of personal space when a white person wants to know if natural black hair feels like steel wool (spoiler alert: it doesn’t).

 

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