50 Favorite African-American Authors of the 20th Century

1,826 readers cast votes back in 2001 for their favorite African-American authors. Here we share the 50 authors who received the most votes ranked in the order of the total number of votes received.

Check out a beautiful collage of all 50 author’s photos and our list of the Top 100 Books of the 20th Century.

Help readers discover the great writers of the century by casting your vote for “Your Favorite Black Author of the 21st Century.”

# 1 — (6.24%)

Toni Morrison

# 2 — (5.42%)

Zora Neale Hurston

# 3 — (4.82%)

Maya Angelou

# 4 — (4.71%)

J. California Cooper

# 5 — (4.33%)

Alice Walker

# 6 — (3.94%)

Langston Hughes

# 7 — (3.72%)

E. Lynn Harris

# 8 — (3.56%)

James Baldwin

# 9 — (3.23%)

Terry McMillan

# 10 — (3.18%)

Bebe Moore Campbell

# 11 — (2.74%)

Richard Wright

# 12 — (2.57%)

Walter Mosley

# 13 — (2.52%)

Eric Jerome Dickey

# 14 — (2.41%)

Sheneska Jackson

# 15 — (2.19%)

Octavia Butler

# 16 — (2.08%)

Alex Haley

# 17 — (2.03%)

Ralph Ellison

# 18 — (1.86%)

Gloria Naylor

# 19 — (1.53%)

Iyanla Vanzant

# 20 — (1.53%)

Omar Tyree

# 21 — (1.48%)

Albert French

# 22 — (1.42%)

Connie Briscoe

# 23 — (1.42%)

Ernest Gaines

# 24 — (1.42%)

Nikki Giovanni

# 25 — (1.31%)

Chester Himes