This Juneteenth, celebrate the ongoing journey toward equality. To honor Black authors of the past and present, we’ve handpicked a selection of must-read books that highlight the lesser-known stories in Black culture and history. Through fiction and nonfiction, these works highlight diverse experiences and truths. Expand your knowledge and appreciation of Black history with these essential reads.
Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 by Lynne Olson
Lynne Olson’s groundbreaking book finally recognizes the bold women essential to the civil rights movement’s success. From the Montgomery bus boycott to the Freedom Rides, Olson tells the long-overlooked stories of fearless leaders like Ida B. Wells, Ella Baker, and Septima Clark, alongside many forgotten heroines. Freedom’s Daughters highlights over sixty women, showing that the civil rights struggle had a human—and often female—face.
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The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Comprised of two letters written on the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, The Fire Next Time first inspired the world around the time of the emerging civil rights movement. This intensely personal and provocative book evokes James Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and examines the consequences of racial injustice. It passionately exhorts Americans, both Black and white, to confront and dismantle the terrible legacy of racism.
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The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
As a leading authority on housing policy, Richard Rothstein debunks the myth of de facto segregation in American cities, revealing that it was de jure segregation—laws and policies by local, state, and federal governments—that enforced racial division. In The Color of Law, Rothstein chronicles how racial zoning and flawed urban planning created segregated neighborhoods. He shows how government actions, such as federal housing subsidies excluding African Americans and police support of racial resistance, perpetuated these discriminatory patterns.
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The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow has profoundly influenced American discourse since its 2010 release. It’s been cited in judicial decisions, adopted in campus-wide reads, and inspired initiatives like the Marshall Project and the Art for Justice Fund. Winner of the NAACP Image Award, the book has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Alexander’s compelling argument on racial caste continues to galvanize criminal justice reform, making it a pivotal work of the 21st century, as recognized by the Birmingham News.
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Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
As one of the leading thinkers about food in America, Psyche Williams-Forson takes readers on a journey, tackling racism in America’s food culture. Media, science, and policy shape ideas about healthy eating, often unfairly targeting Black people’s choices. She challenges these biases and argues for celebrating Black culinary traditions and resilience in the face of limited access. By dismantling food shaming, Williams-Forson advocates for a more equitable and culturally rich food system for all.
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Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah’s journey to The Daily Show began with an illegal birth under apartheid South Africa. His mixed-race heritage forced him into hiding. With freedom came opportunity, and Trevor, alongside his strong-willed mother, embraced a new life. His memoir, Born a Crime, is a humorous and heartfelt look at his childhood, marked by poverty, resilience, and a mother’s fierce love.
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Deep Delta Justice: A Black Teen, His Lawyer, and Their Groundbreaking Battle for Civil Rights in the South by Matthew Van Meter
Arrested in 1966 for touching a white child’s arm, 19-year-old Gary Duncan refused to accept his fate. He enlisted Richard Sobol, a young white lawyer from New York. Opposing them was a powerful Southern white supremacist, known as “The Judge.” In “Duncan v. Louisiana,” journalist Matthew Van Meter shows how this minor incident brought systemic change to the criminal justice system, empowering generations of Black defendants to demand fair trials.
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Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi
Charting the Black American experience from 1619 to the present, Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain feature contributions from renowned scholars, writers, and activists, vividly depicting slavery, resistance, segregation, survival, migration, and cultural creativity. The book brings their extraordinary lives and personalities to life, restoring them to their rightful place in America’s narrative and honoring the countless others lost to history.
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The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs
James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X are well-known, but their extraordinary mothers are often overlooked. Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little, born in the early 20th century, faced Jim Crow’s prejudices as Black women. They passed their knowledge to their sons, teaching resistance, dignity, and self-worth. Their strength and conviction drove their children toward greatness despite rampant discrimination, prioritizing the fight for equal justice and dignity above all else.
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Things Past Telling by Sheila Williams
Maryam Prescilla Grace, born in mid-eighteenth-century West Africa, embarks on a remarkable life journey marred by hardship and marked by resilience. From surviving capture and enslavement, including a harrowing Atlantic crossing at eleven, to a stint as a pirate’s ward, she learns midwifery from a wise woman in the Caribbean. Spanning continents and generations, her story, loosely based on real-life ancestors, celebrates her enduring identity amid loss and cultural upheaval.
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