Cultural Literature

From hip-hop moguls and political candidates to talk radio and critically acclaimed films, society communicates that Black girls don't matter and their girlhood is not safe. Alarming statistics on physical and sexual abuse, for instance, reveal the harm...

A poignant, unflinching study of black grief as a form of elegy found in visual art, music, literature--everywhere, if you know how to see it. In Black Elegies, Kimberly Juanita Brown examines the form of the elegy and its unique capacity to convey the...

National Humanities Medal recipient and two-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize David Levering Lewis's own family history that shifts our understanding of the larger American story Sitting beneath a stained glass window dedicated to his grandmother in...

Juxtaposing the world-building of afrofuturism and the world-negating of afropessimism to show how both movements have offered us critical resources of hope. Science fiction imagines aliens and global crises as world-unifying events, both a threat and...

Ten beautifully illustrated essays tell the stories of handcrafted objects and their makers, providing inspiration and insight into Black history and craftsmanship.   Black artisans have long been central to American art and design, creating...

From celebrated scholar Dr. Yolanda Pierce comes this indelible meditation on Black faith, suffering, hope, and the healing possibilities of justice, written in the venerable tradition of James Cone and Kelly Brown Douglas. What do we do with wounds--our...

Pass down the powerful teachings of African oral tradition by adding this luxe illustrated volume of over 50 cultural folktales to your home library. In this captivating collection of folklore from African culture, discover the stories that have been...

The first biography of Ericka Huggins, a queer Black woman who brought spiritual self-care practices to the Black Panther Party. In this groundbreaking biography, Mary Frances Phillips immerses readers in the life and legacy of Ericka Huggins, a revered...

A compact introduction to Cauleen Smith's experimental, imaginative films incorporating science fiction, Afrofuturism and contemporary Chicago cultureSince making her first feature while a student at UCLA, Los Angeles-based artist Cauleen Smith (born...

The first book to trace the critical reception of the great African American woman writer, attending not only to her fiction but to her nonfiction and critical writings. Winner of the Toni Morrison Society Book Prize for Best Single-Authored Book,...

*Well-Read Black Girl - Book Club Pick* A riveting memoir by the former CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET), about the glamorous and ugly moments of being a high-powered Black woman executive in the entertainment industry. As an incredible...

An exploration of racism and anti-racism in the world of professional cycling in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Ex-international cyclist Marlon Lee Moncrieffe examines how the cycling industry is tackling racism within the sport today...