As the debate surrounding Critical Race Theory and public school curriculum captivates school boards and state legislatures nationwide, the fact remains that the contribution of unapologetically Black authors to public discourse has shaped our collective consciousness for the better. To honor this legacy of scholarly activism my intern Adrienne and I have compiled the following list of our personal faves for your reading pleasure:
Fiction
Kindred - Octavia Butler
The Water Dancer - Tanehisi Coates
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
Beloved - Toni Morrison
Sula - Toni Morrison
Fortunate Son - Walter Mosley
The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
Midnight - Sister Souljah
Nonfiction
Memoirs
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Dr. Maya Angelou
A Piece of Cake: A Memoir - Cupcake Brown
The Truths We Hold - Kamala Harris
Becoming - Michelle Obama
Assata: An Autobiography - Assata Shakur
Will - Will Smith
Just As I Am - Cicely Tyson
Black Boy - Richard Wright
Historical/Social/Political
Lead from the Outside - Stacey Abrams
Our Time is Now - Stacey Abrams
The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander
The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin
Chokehold: Policing Black Men - Paul Butler
Malcolm X Speaks: Selected Speeches and Statements - Edited by George Breitman
Between the World and Me - Tanehisi Coates
Women, Race and Class - Angela Y. Davis
Are Prisons Obsolete? - Angela Y. Davis
Democracy in Black - Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
All About Love - bell hooks (Note: Ms. hooks insisted on her name being written in lowercase font throughout her career so as not to center herself, but rather the content of her many literary works.)
Killing Rage: Ending Racism - bell hooks
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Audacity of Hope - President Barack Obama
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes and Black Women in America - Melissa V. Harris Perry
How We Get Free, Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective - Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
The Warmth of Other Suns - Isabel Wilkerson
The Miseducation of the Negro - Carter G. Woodson (Note: Carter G. Woodson initiated the first celebration of Negro History Week in 1926; eventually the practice expanded to what we know today as Black History Month.)
See anything missing that my readers should add to their personal library? Leave a comment below with your suggestions.