Born in the 1880s in Jefferson, Texas, Lillian B. Jones Horace grew up in Fort Worth and dreamed of being a college-educated teacher, a goal she achieved. But life was hard for her and other blacks living and working in the Jim Crow South. Her struggles convinced her that education, particularly that involving the printed word, was the key to black liberation.In 1916, before Marcus Garvey gained fame for advocating black economic empowerment and a repatriation movement, Horace wrote...

I was born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away. My father was a carpenter, and considered so intelligent and skilful in his trade, that, when buildings out of the common line were to be erected, he was sent for from long distances, to be head workman. On condition of paying his mistress two hundred dollars a year, and supporting himself, he was allowed to work at his trade, and manage his own affairs. His strongest wish was to purchase his childre...

One of the most widely read and influential works in African American literature, "The Souls of Black Folk" is W.E.B. Du Bois's classic collection of essays in which he details the state of racism and black culture at the beginning of the 20th century. Often autobiographical, "The Souls of Black Folk" takes the reader on a history lesson of race relations and the state of the African American from the emancipation proclamation to the early part of the 20th century. A founding member of the...

A new edition published on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Baldwin’s death, including a new introduction by an important contemporary writerSince its original publication in 1955, this first nonfiction collection of essays by James Baldwin remains an American classic. His impassioned essays on life in Harlem, the protest novel, movies, and African Americans abroad are as powerful today as when they were first written.“A straight-from-the-shoulder writer, wr...

First published in 1907 as a series of articles in “Human Life” magazine, “Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier” is the fascinating first-hand account of these famous Americans by Bat Masterson. Born Bartholemew William Barclay Masterson in Canada in 1853, Bat Masterson led an amazing life as a U.S. Army scout, professional gambler, and lawman in the American Old West. He went to find adventure in the frontier as a young man and soon earned distinction as a buffalo hunter. He eventua...

From the award-winning author of A Raisin in the Sun, comes one of the most electrifying classic masterpieces of the American theater: an unforgettable portrait of a man struggling with his individual fate in an age of racial and social injustice."Rich and warm and funny... beautifully written.” —Los Angeles TimesThe Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, along with A Raisin in the Sun, are milestones...

With the publication of The New Negro in 1925, Alain Locke introduced readers all over the U.S. to the vibrant world of African American thought. As an author, editor, and patron, Locke rightly earned the appellation "Godfather of the Harlem Renaissance." Yet, his intellectual contributions extend far beyond that single period of cultural history. Throughout his life he penned essays, on topics ranging from John Keats to Sigmund Freud, in addition to his trenchant social commentary on race an...

Black Authors and Illustrators of Books for Children and Young Adults is a biographical dictionary that provides comprehensive coverage of all major authors and illustrators – past and present. As the only reference volume of its kind available, this book is a valuable research tool that provides quick access for anyone studying black children’s literature – whether one is a student, a librarian charged with maintaining a children’s literature collection, or a scholar of children’...

From one oclock on the afternoon of July 24, 1974, until shortly before ten oclock the night of August 3, eleven days later, one of the longest hostage-taking sieges in the history of the United States took place in Texass Huntsville State Prison. The ringleader, Federico (Fred) Gomez Carrasco, the former boss of the largest drug-running operation in south Texas, was serving life for assault with intent to commit murder on a police officer. Using his connections to smuggle guns and ammunit...

An America in which the color of one's skin no longer matters would be unprecedented. With the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, that future suddenly seemed possible. Obama's rise reflects a nation of fluid populations and fortunes, a society in which a biracial individual could be embraced as a leader by all. Yet complicating this vision are shifting demographics, rapid redefinitions of race, and the instant invention of brands, trends, and identities that determine how we think...

For the first eighteen years of his career, Percival Everett (b. 1956) managed to fly under the radar of the literary establishment. He followed his artistic vision down a variety of unconventional paths, including his preference for releasing his books through independent publishers. But with the publication of his novel erasure in 2001, his literary talent could no longer be kept under wraps. The author of more than twenty-five books, Everett has established himself as one of Am...

Bryan was incorporated in 1872, but it would take more than ten years before its African American population was offered schooling. Nothing would come easy for them, but they persevered through hard work, ingenuity and family support. The success of today's generation is a direct result of determined, hardworking pioneers like Dr. Samuel J. Sealey Sr., Bryan's "baby doctor" in the 1930s and '40s, and Dr. William A. Hammond Sr., who opened Bryan's first black hospital and employed many blac...