Black History Month: 5 Books by Present-Day Authors

Black leaders, their accomplishments and their oppression continue to be written out of American history books, and their legacies relegated to a single month, the shortest of the year. Contemporary Black writers, however, are filling in the gaps by unearthing and sharing stories of Black activists and cultural leaders whom white supremacy has nearly erased:

Lifting as We Climb by Evette Dionne
Dionne, the editor-in-chief of Bitch Media, shares stories of African American women who led Black suffrage groups despite rejection from white suffragettes, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Overground Railroad by Candacy Taylor
Taylor, an award-winning photographer, explores the “Green Book” and Black travel in the Jim Crow era, and shows how they relate to America’s racism today.

Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman
Hartman, a MacArthur fellow, tells the forgotten story of young Black women pushing the boundaries of adulthood and sexual freedom in New York and Philly well before flappers and The Great Gatsby.
Franchise by Marcia Chatelain
Chatelain uncovers how fast-food franchises became a battlefield for racial justice and one of the biggest generators of Black wealth in the U.S.

A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing by DaMaris B. Hill
Hill uses poetry to honor the experiences of Black women freedom fighters, from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland.

If you’re looking for more suggestions for your bookshelf, we asked you — our readers— for anti-racism book suggestions and you gave us quite a few. Here's a list to help you get started:

We asked for anti-racism book suggestions and you gave us quite a few — here's a list to help you get started this weekend:

📚Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge pic.twitter.com/pneMOAhm04
— AJ+ (@ajplus) June 27, 2020