"In her publishing debut, internationally acclaimed performance poet Sophia Thakur takes you on an intimate journey through love, loss, sacrifice, and self-discovery. In four parts -- titled Grow, Wait, Break, and Grow Again -- she shares her raw self and gives voice to experiences that connect people, inspiring readers to explore the tendencies of the heart." --

Bayard Rustin believed that every human being deserves respect and dignity. As a child he was taught that we all have a duty to stand up to prejudice and discrimination, and that conflict must be resolved through peaceful, nonviolent means. And so, Bayard began to peacefully resist--in high school he was arrested for sitting in the "whites only" section of his hometown movie theater--no matter the consequences. Bayard Rustin grew up to become one of the key figures of the American Civil Rights Movement. He was a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., teaching him the philosophy and techniques of nonviolent direct action. In 1963, he organized the March on Washington, one of America's most historic protest marches. And yet, he is absent from most history books, in large part because he was openly gay. This biography traces Bayard's lifetime of activism and highlights his fearless commitment to justice and equality for all. --

"Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls." -

From Children's Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance--paired with full-color, original art from today's most talented female African-American illustrators.

"Sometimes the times were dark and the outlook was lonesome, but where there is a will, there is a way. I pitched in and dug at my work until now I am where I am." Meet Edmonia Lewis, the woman who changed America during the Civil War by becoming the first sculptor of African-American and Native American heritage to earn international acclaim. Jasmine Walls & Bex Glendining present the true story of courage, determination and perseverance through one of America's most violent eras to create true beauty that still reverberates today. It's about being seen. Both for who you are, and who you hope you can become. History is a mirror, and all too often, the history we're told in school reflects only a small subset of the population. In Seen: True Stories of Marginalized Trailblazers, you'll find the stories of the real groundbreakers who changed our world for the better. They're the heroes: the inventors, the artists, the activists, and more whose stories you won't want to miss. The people whose lives show us both where we are, and where we're going." --

"Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era raised a new question to those in power in the US: Should African Americans, so many of them former slaves, be granted the right to vote? In a bitter partisan fight over the legislature and Constitution, the answer eventually became yes, though only after two constitutional amendments, two Reconstruction Acts, two Civil Rights Acts, three Enforcement Acts, the impeachment of a president, and an army of occupation. Yet, even that was not enough to ensure that African American voices would be heard, or their lives protected. White supremacists loudly and intentionally prevented black Americans from voting -- and they were willing to kill to do so. In this vivid portrait of the systematic suppression of the African American vote, critically acclaimed author Lawrence Goldstone traces the injustices of the post-Reconstruction era through the eyes of incredible individuals, both heroic and barbaric, and examines the legal cases that made the Supreme Court a partner of white supremacists in the rise of Jim Crow. Though this is a story of America's past, Goldstone brilliantly draws direct links to today's creeping threats to suffrage in this important and, alas, timely book"--

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

The story of the "Jubilee Singers, [who] traveled from Cincinnati to New York, following the path of the Underground Railroad. With every performance they endangered their lives and those of the people helping them, but they also broke down barriers between blacks and whites, lifted spirits, and even helped influence modern American music: the Jubilees were the first to introduce spirituals outside their black communities [and are still active and highly regarded today]"--Amazon.com.

This collection chronicles the search for freedom and opportunity and the achievement of success in a wide variety of fields. The contributors all pushed beyond self-imposed or culturally enforced boundaries to pursue their dreams and ambitions. They include Mark Dean, an IBM vice president and member of the Inventors Hall of Fame, who holds three of the original patents upon which the personal computer is based; the civil-rights attorney Oliver W. Hill, one of the architects of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case; the classical pianist and museum founder Josephine Love; and L. Douglas Wilder, the grandson of slaves who became the first African American governor of Virginia.

Acclaimed writer Walter Dean Myers celebrates the people of Harlem with these powerful and soulful first-person poems in the voices of the residents who make up the legendary neighborhood: basketball players, teachers, mail carriers, jazz artists, maids, veterans, nannies, students, and more. Exhilarating and electric, these poems capture the energy and resilience of a neighborhood and a people.

"Walking readers through a rich but often overlooked part of American history, this compendium addresses the people, times, and events that influenced and changed African American history. An overview of major biographical figures and history-making events is followed by a deeper look at the development in the arts, entertainment, business, civil rights, music, government, journalism, religion, science, sports, and more. Mimicking the a broad range of the African American experience, showcasing interesting insights and facts, this helpful reference answers a wide variety of questions including What is the significance of the Apollo Theater? What were the effects of the Great Depression on black artists? Who were some of America's early free black entrepreneurs? What is the historical role of the barbershop in the African American community? and What was Black Wall Street? Blending trivia with historical review in an engaging question-and-answer format, this book is perfect for browsing and is ideal for history buffs, trivia fans, students and teachers and anyone interested in a better and more thorough understanding of history of black Americans"--