Cultural Literature

Portraits of Valor The stories of the passions and personalities that placed Virginia in the forefront of the Revolutionary War were replete with grief and sacrifice. The breakup of families over political differences was common. Bereavement spared few,...

A powerful exploration of self-resilience, family, and community from activist and prison abolitionist Keeonna Harris.Keeonna and Jason met as young teens. Only fourteen, Keeonna had never had a boyfriend before, dreamed of attending Spelman to become an...

An unforgettable and heartrending love story that will break your heart and piece it back together. Kareem Rosser and Lee Lee Jones were young, beautiful, and deeply in love. Their love was a real-world romance that felt like a fairy tale: Kareem was...

Winner of the 2023 Horowitz Prize by the Bard Graduate CenterShortlisted for the 2024 Charles C. Eldredge Prize by the Smithsonian American Art MuseumA meditation on suffering, resilience, creativity, and graceIn 1942 Missouri Pettway, newly suffering...

Illuminating two hundred years of lost Black History through the lens of an iconic abolitionist settlementIn the Light of Dawn shares the compelling story of how the iconic Dawn Settlement--now largely within the boundaries of Dresden, Ontario-- shaped...

"Part memoir, part history, and part political treatise, The South chronicles Reed's life under Jim Crow to correct what he sees as misleading representations of the past."-Elias Rodriques, Bookforum A memoir and historical account of growing up Black in...

Winner, Grand Prize, French Voices Award In Too Black to Be French, Isabelle Boni-Claverie navigates the complexities of identity, race, and family in a world that constantly questions her belonging. Boni-Claverie's singular account interweaves the...

A Hollywood history told from the perspective of those that fought for diversity, inclusion and acknowledgement Are the Oscars (still) so white? Is it even possible to decolonize the film industry? Why is Hollywood's race problem everyone's problem? ...

From the celebrated author of Freedom Dreams, a thought-provoking look at how the multicolored urban working class are the solution--not the problem--to the ills of American cities A limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and...

A blazingly honest essay collection from a refreshing new voice exploring the in-between moments for Black women and girls, and what it means to simply exist "At thirty-seven years old I can say Shenequa is a big name and I'm a big, bold woman." Shenequa...

A biography of Charles Chesnutt, one of the first American authors to write for both Black and white readers.In A Matter of Complexion, Tess Chakkalakal gives readers the first comprehensive biography of Charles W. Chesnutt. A complex and talented man,...

A timely, vulnerable, and cutting-edge exploration of the pressures and pitfalls of writing while Black in America in this urgently needed addition to the national conversation of race, money, and art. In the summer of 2020, when the nation was erupting...