Juneteenth

This book is a compact, exceptionally diverse introduction to the history of Black women, from the first African woman who arrived in America to the women of today.

A collection of Coates’ essays originally printed in The Atlantic Magazine between 2008 – 2016 over the course of the Obama administration. Each essay is introduced with the author’s reflections.

Obama’s election in 2008 was remarkable because he won 90 percent of the Black vote in the primaries despite Black leadership’s support of Clinton. This book focuses on how this happened, and the implications it holds for America’s politics and social landscape.

Raised as a plantation slave, Douglass went on to become a writer, orator, and major participant in the struggle for African American freedom and equality. In this engrossing narrative he recounts early years of abuse, his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom, abolitionist campaigns, and his crusade for full civil rights for former slaves.

A social and intellectual history of the time between Reconstruction and the rise of the Jim Crow period of American History.

Texas native Gordon-Reed weaves together her American and family history into a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, from its origins in Texas to Reconstruction, through Jim Crow and beyond.

A “community” history of African Americans written by 90 writers that cover the 400-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present

Using photos, this book illustrates what freedom looked like for Black Americans in the Civil War era. These portraits of Black families and workers in the American South challenge perceptions of slavery.

Perry draws upon the insights and tools of critical race theory, social policy, law, sociology, and cultural studies to demonstrate how postintentional racism works, but also identifies a place of hope.

A chronicle of the decades-long migration of Black citizens who, during the twentieth century, fled the south for northern and western cities in search of a better life.

A sweeping story of a mother and daughter that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life.

Set in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, this an unforgettable story about one young Black girl’s attempt to find a place where she can be fully, and only, herself.

Inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States and rich with historical detail, this novel presents a deep, moving, and lyrical dive into our past.

This debut poetry collection was published when Hughes was just 24 years old. He stated that his poetic philosophy speaks not only for himself, but also the whole African American population. The book is split into seven thematic sections: The Weary Blues, Dream Variations, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, A Black Pierrot, Water Front Streets, Shadows in the Sun, and Our Land.

This thrilling, allegorical tale of escape from slavery in the American deep south contains extraordinary prose and a powerful meditation on the history we all share.

The Underground Railroad is now streaming as a limited series.

Set in a historical and literary framework in eight chronological sections, this anthology covers African American poetry from 1770 through today.

A critically acclaimed history of African American cuisine from popular cookbook author Jessica B. Harris, this book traces particular foods, cooking methods, food traditions and profiles individual cooks throughout American history; includes photographs and selected recipes. Note: Food writer Stephen Satterfield hosts a 4-episode docuseries based on this James Beard Award-winning that is now streaming.

A chronicle of how Black barbecuers, pit-masters, and restauranteurs helped develop this cornerstone of American foodways. It’s a smoke-filled story of Black perseverance, culinary innovation, and entrepreneurship. Though often pushed to the margins, African Americans have enriched a barbecue culture that has come to be embraced by all. This beautifully illustrated chronicle also features 22 barbecue recipes collected just for this book.

A historic overview of more than 150 Black cookbooks presented chronologically and abundantly illustrated. The stereotypical image of Aunt Jemima maligned generations of notable cooks and food writers, who brought knowledge and creativity to American cuisine.

In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, photographs, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine Black people’s connection to the American land from
Emancipation to today