"It’s important to celebrate the contributions of Black people to America. Their labor, often uncompensated, greatly contributed to the construction both literally and theoretically of this country, its art, its science, and industries.
"Many Black American authors have used writing to document their experience in America and to tell stories that represent our journey as a people. It is imperative that we read Black authors to better understand where Black Americans have been – and where they are going." (Jordan Fields)
Dive into the richness of Black history with this curated reading and media list compiled by Jordan Fields, a dedicated member of the Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice Student Advisory Board and student at Pitt Law and Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College.
Non-Fiction Books
- The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
- The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, Nikole Hannah Jones
- Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America, Lerone Bennett Jr.
- Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities, Craig Steven Wilder
- They Were Her Property, Stephanie Jones Rogers
- South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, Imani Perry
- Forty Million Dollar Slaves, William C. Rhoden
- The Whiteness of Wealth, Dorothy A. Brown
- Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities, Andre M. Perry
- Black Power: The Politics of Liberation, Kwame Ture & Charles V. Hamilton
Fiction Books
- Beloved, Toni Morrison
- The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrisson
- The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
- Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler
- Kindred, Octavia Butler
- Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanene of Racism, Derrick Bell
- Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
- Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
- Sister Outsider, Audre Lorde
- Native Son, Richard Wright
Biographies & Memoirs
- King: A Life, Jonathan Eig
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley & Malcolm X
- Assata: An Autobiography, Assata Shakur
- Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray, Rosalind Rosenberg
- My Bondage, My Freedom, Frederick Douglass
- Paul Robeson: A Life of Activism and Art, Lindsey R. Swindall
- This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer, Kay Mills
- Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Plays
- A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
- The Color Purple, Alice Walker
- For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Ntozake Shange
- Blues for Mister Charlie, James Baldwin
- August Wilson’s “Century Cycle”
Articles
- Are Black Women Judicial Candidates In Houston Being Targeted With Claims That They’re Not Qualified To Run For Office?
- OPINION: Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey's Tragic End Reminds Me How Much Empathetic Leadership Can Literally Be A Matter of Life or Death for Black Women
- With ‘Gems’ From Black Collections, the Harlem Renaissance Reappears
- The Lost Story of New York’s Most Powerful Black Woman
- What if Federal Reparations Weren’t a Fiction?
- Six Artists Reflect on the Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance
- In Chicago, Keeping the Heritage of Black Dance Moving
- Black history is ‘being attacked.’ These parents found alternatives.
- ‘His Name Was Bélizaire’: Rare Portrait of Enslaved Child Arrives at the Met
- Home Appraised With a Black Owner: $472,000. With a White Owner: $750,000.
Podcasts
Celebrate Black History Month 2024 by delving into these thought-provoking and inspiring works that contribute to a deeper understanding of the Black experience and its integral role in shaping our world.