AALBC Search
Kris Manjapra
Kris Manjapra 0000000072862401 Kris Manjapra is a professor of history at Tufts University, and a recipient of the 2015 Emerging Scholar Award magazine. He has held fellowships at the Berlin Institu...
Louise Story and Ebony Reed
Louise Story and Ebony Reed MULTIPLE Louise Story is a renowned investigative journalist and Yale professor, known for her work at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and for her investig...
Katheryn Russell-Brown
Katheryn Russell-Brown 0000000110004863 Katheryn Russell-Brown, author of award-winning book 'Little Melba and Her Big Trombone', is a Law professor and director of the Center for the Study of Race a...
Gunnar Myrdal
Gunnar Myrdal 0000000121280468 Karl Gunnar Myrdal was a Swedish Nobel laureate economist, sociologist, and politician, best known for his work “An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democ...
Wade Nobles
Wade Nobles 0000000082420463 Dr. Wade W. Nobles is a professor emeritus at San Francisco State University and founder of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family, Life and Culture, Inc. A...
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair MULTIPLE Richard Ellmann, an influential literary critic and biographer, and Robert O’Clair, a scholar specializing in modern poetry, were key contributors to the s...
Peniel E. Joseph
Peniel E. Joseph 0000000115111895 Peniel E. Joseph, historian and professor at The University of Texas, is the founding director of the LBJ School’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. Specia...
Richard Morris
Richard Morris 000000002791695X Richard A. Morris is a Harvard Business School alumnus, Vietnam war veteran and former building code specialist turned novelist. Known for his critically acclaimed nov...
Ronda Racha Penrice
Ronda Racha Penrice NONE Ronda Racha Penrice, an expert in African American history and culture, studied at Columbia University and NYU, focusing on African American literature. She contributed to Th...
Naleighna Kai, Renee Bernard, J.L. Woodson, Joyce A Brown, D. J. McLaurin, Candy Jackson, Janice Pernell, Valarie Prince, Martha Kennerson, Susan D. Peters, Tanishia Pearson-Jones, and L. A. Lewis
Naleighna Kai, Renee Bernard, J.L. Woodson, Joyce A Brown, D. J. McLaurin, Candy Jackson, Janice Pernell, Valarie Prince, Martha Kennerson, Susan D. Peters, Tanishia Pearson-Jones, and L. A. Lewis MUL...
Nellie Y. McKay
Nellie Y. McKay 0000000081108566 Nellie Y. McKay, an influential figure in American literature, co-edited the Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Her work highlighted the scholarly study...
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates 0000000036544350 “I’ve been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died…clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates.” —To...
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watson, Rita Williams-Garcia, and others
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watso...
Tracy Sherrod
Tracy Sherrod NONE Tracy Sherrod, editorial director of HarperCollins' Amistad, has worked with award-winning authors and published numerous bestsellers. She has held editorial positions at Simon and...
Kwame Dawes
Kwame Dawes 0000000073665848 Ghana-born Kwame Dawes, a poet significantly influenced by Jamaican rhythms and reggae music, is the author of numerous poetry collections, novels, and non-fiction works....
Yusef Salaam
Yusef Salaam NONE Dr. Yusef Abdus Salaam, part of the Exonerated Five, was wrongly convicted in the Central Park jogger case at 15. After years in prison, his sentence was overturned in 2002. His sto...
Kam Williams
Kam Williams NONE Lloyd “Kam” Williams was a renowned film and book critic, contributing to AALBC.com and numerous other publications. A member of several critics associations, he was known for his a...
Carter G. Woodson
Carter G. Woodson 0000000108766551 “Only when lions have historians will hunters cease being heroes.” —African Proverb Carter G. Woodson, the son of former slaves, became a renowned scholar, earning a...
Jean Besson
Jean Besson 0000000108983118 Jean Beason is a renowned researcher and author specializing in cultural history, kinship, gender, and ethnicity among other areas. She published a book on creolization a...
Margaret A. Donaldson Cobb
Margaret A. Donaldson Cobb NONE Margaret A. Donaldson Cobb, author of “Are You Mrs. Or Mis(s)understood?”, emphasizes community values and Bible study in her work. Her book incites laughter, contempl...
William Leo Hansberry
William Leo Hansberry 0000000021037954 “The Father of African Studies” Historian and anthropologist, William Leo Hansberry studied at Atlanta University and Harvard. He devoted his life to...
Elinor Des Verney Sinnette
Elinor Des Verney Sinnette 000000008088669X Elinor Des Verney Sinnette, former Acting Director of Howard University's Research Center and staff member of The New York Public Library, was a renowned e...
Boris I. Bittker
Boris I. Bittker 0000000116400103 Boris Irving Bittker (1916-2005) was a renowned US legal academic and Yale Law School professor. Known for his extensive contributions to tax law, he authored numero...
Margaret Garner
Margaret Garner NONE Margaret Garner, a fugitive slave from Kentucky, killed one of her children rather than permit her to be returned to slavery. She drowned in a shipwreck as she was being ...
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove MULTIPLE Prominent authors Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, ...
Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Lisa Watson, Martha Kennerson, Michelle D. Rayford, Janice Pernell, J. L. Campbell, Kisha Green, and Terri Ann Johnson
Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Lisa Watson, Martha Kennerson, Michelle D. Rayford, Janice Pernell, J. L. Campbell, Kisha Green, and Terri Ann Johnson MULTIPLE "Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Li...
Shelby Steele
Shelby Steele 0000000117385953 Shelby Steele is an award-winning author, columnist, and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow. Renowned for his study on race relations and cultural issues, Steele's work h...
Marguerite W. Davol
Marguerite W. Davol NONE Marguerite W. Davol, a former teacher at Gorse Child Study Center, Mount Holyoke College, is an acclaimed author known for children's books like Heart of the Wood, How Snake ...
Blair L.M. Kelley
Blair L.M. Kelley NONE Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D. is a renowned author, historian, and scholar of the African American experience. She is the seventh president of the National Humanities Center, the onl...
Oludamini Ogunnaike
Oludamini Ogunnaike 0000000040827310 Oludamini Ogunnaike, PhD, is the Associate Professor of African Religious Thought and Democracy at the University of Virginia. His research examines the philosop...
Bakari Kitwana
Bakari Kitwana 0000000114584527 Bakari Kitwana is a renowned journalist, activist, and political analyst, known for his commentary on politics and youth culture. He has been a consultant on hip-hop, ...
Claudia Zaslavsky
Claudia Zaslavsky 000000011060616X Claudia Zaslavsky (1917-2006) was an esteemed ethno mathematician and educator. She made significant contributions to the study of mathematics in global cultures, p...
R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz
R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz 0000000369254781 René Adolphe Schwaller de Lubicz (1887-1961) was a French occultist and Egyptologist, renowned for his 12-year study on Temple of Luxor's art and architect...
Cain Hope Felder
Cain Hope Felder 0000000082494921 Cain Hope Felder, a professor at Howard University, is known for his groundbreaking study in New Testament Language and Literature. He's the founder of the Biblical ...
Margaret Walker
Margaret Walker 0000000120999163 Margaret Walker was a renowned American poet and writer, known for her works “For My People” and “Jubilee.” She was a key figure in the African-American literary move...
Kinshasha Holman Conwill and Paul Gardullo
Kinshasha Holman Conwill and Paul Gardullo MULTIPLE Kinshasha Holman Conwill serves as the deputy director of NMAAHC and ex-director of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Paul Gardullo is a historian, cura...
Margaret Musgrove
Margaret Musgrove NONE Dr. Margaret Musgrove, born in 1943, has been a professor at Loyola University since 1991, previously teaching in various community colleges. She earned tenure in 1996 and rece...
Freddi Williams Evans
Freddi Williams Evans 0000000034100692 Freddi Williams Evans is an award-winning author and former arts educator. She's recognized for her book “Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans” and her ad...
Hélène de Gobineau
Hélène de Gobineau 0000000051417763 Hélène de Gobineau (1903-1958), a Parisian ethnologist known for her study on writing and dysgraphy, contributed to war efforts and was inspired by her experienc...
Elizabeth Ross Haynes
Elizabeth Ross Haynes NONE Elizabeth Ross Haynes (1883-1953) was a former valedictorian and graduate of Fisk University and Columbia University. Notable for her study on black women's employment, she...
Living Language
Living Language NONE Living Language, a premier brand in foreign language self-study since 1946, offers a variety of products like audio programs, books, and online courses in 27 languages, believing...
Jabari Osaze, Author, Historian, and Lecturer
Jabari Osaze, Author, Historian, and Lecturer MULTIPLE Jabari Osaze is an expert in Ancient African history, with over 25 years of focus on Ancient Kemetic spirituality. He conducts annual study tour...
Jabari Osaze
Jabari Osaze NONE Jabari Osaze, an expert in Ancient African history and spirituality, particularly Ancient Egypt, has led study tours to Egypt since 2002 and monthly tours to renowned museums. He se...
Eddie Faye Gates
Eddie Faye Gates NONE Eddie Faye Gates, a former history teacher and education consultant, served on the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot. A graduate from the University of North Dako...
Jacob Carruthers
Jacob Carruthers NONE Dr. Jacob Hudson Carruthers, Jr. was an esteemed African American scholar, historian, and educator. He founded the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations a...
Neville Goddard
Neville Goddard 0000000033028836 Neville Goddard (1905-1972) was a renowned metaphysical writer and lecturer from Barbados who moved to NYC to study theater before shifting to metaphysics. Known for ...
Yolanda Pierce
Yolanda Pierce 0000000047702561 Yolanda Pierce, a professor and dean at Howard University, is a scholar of African American religious history and womanist theology. A Princeton and Cornell alumna, sh...
Erin Nielson
Erin Nielson NONE Erin Nielson is a Texas-based freelance illustrator known for her whimsical artwork often featuring animals. She has clients like BYU Independent Study and Cincinnati Children’s Hos...
William L. Andrews
William L. Andrews 0000000108957024 William L. Andrews is E. Maynard Adams Professor of English Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has authored, edited, or co-edited more...
Julie Iromuanya
Julie Iromuanya NONE Julie Iromuanya was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, the Etisalat Prize for Literature, and the National Book Critics Cir...
Amy J. Elias
Amy J. Elias 0000000109646252 Amy J. Elias is Professor of English at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she teaches and writes about arts and aesthetics of the post-1945 period, time and...
Jake Sloan
Jake Sloan NONE Jake Sloan is a civil rights advocate and owner of Davillier-Sloan, Inc., a major California labor-management consulting firm. He began as a pipefitter, later focusing on equality in ...
Vincent Alexandria
Vincent Alexandria NONE Vincent Alexandria is a nationally published author, he is also an actor, producer, director, composer, lyricist, screenwriter, vocalist, and musician. He holds a Bachelor’s ...
Nikki Rashan
Nikki Rashan NONE Nikki Rashan is an acclaimed author known for 'Double Pleasure Double Pain', 'You Make Me Wanna', 'Cyber Case', and 'The EXchange'. She shared her coming out story on Oprah and has ...
Robert Deane Pharr
Robert Deane Pharr 0000000063320993 “…I would let white people look at the black man as he lives when the white man is not looking or listening.” Robert Deane Pharr, born 1916, was ...
Stacy Innerst
Stacy Innerst NONE Stacy Innerst is an award-winning children's book artist and educator based in Pittsburgh. Notably, his work on “Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R. B. G. vs. Inequality” earned a ...
Jean Marie Wiesen
Jean Marie Wiesen NONE Jean Marie Wiesen, a noted investigative author and mystery crime writer, is author of Case of the Missing Look Alikes and Case of the Mouse Trap Legend. She attended Art Cent...
Margaret A. Burnham
Margaret A. Burnham NONE Margaret A. Burnham, a notable law professor and the founding director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University, has had a diverse caree...
Paul Crump
Paul Crump 0000000042989196 Paul Crump, a former prisoner, gained notoriety after writing a novel about his experiences and flaws in the justice system. His case sparked debates about capital punis...
Kellye Garrett
Kellye Garrett NONE Kellye Garrett, award-winning author of “Like a Sister” and “Hollywood Homicide”, is known for her thrilling mystery novels. Prior to writing, she spent eight years in Hollywood, ...
Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin 0000000448828317 Claudette Colvin is a civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat led to the Montgomery bus boycott and helped bring an end to segregation on buses t...
Cinque Brown
Cinque Brown NONE Cinque Brown, a Harlem native, is a full-time philosopher with a passion for questioning life. He's an avid learner with a focus on science and technology, and enjoys social comment...
Marcia Wilson
Marcia Wilson NONE Marcia E. Wilson, a British-born photographer, has extensively documented poets, writers, and literary events of the African Diaspora since 1995. Her work, featured in major print ...
Shannon Holmes, Wahida Clark, Victor L. Martin, Sa'id Salaam, Reds Johnson, Hood Chronicles, Joe Awsum, and Vance Phillips
Shannon Holmes, Wahida Clark, Victor L. Martin, Sa'id Salaam, Reds Johnson, Hood Chronicles, Joe Awsum, and Vance Phillips MULTIPLE "Shannon Holmes, Wahida Clark, Victor L. Martin, Sa'id Salaam, Reds...
Brenda M. Greene
Brenda M. Greene 000000008095850X Dr. Brenda M. Greene is a respected professor, writer, and scholar, leading the Center for Black Literature and the National Black Writers Conference. She has contri...
Dudley Randall
Dudley Randall 0000000114554651 Dudley Randall (1914-2000), a prominent Detroit poet and publisher, began his career at 13 with his first publication. He founded Broadside Press in 1965, promoting Af...
S.L. Jennings, Naleighna Kai, J.D. Mason, Shakir Rashaan, London St. Charles, Sierra Kay, Karen D. Bradley, Anita L. Roseboro, and MarZé Scott
S.L. Jennings, Naleighna Kai, J.D. Mason, Shakir Rashaan, London St. Charles, Sierra Kay, Karen D. Bradley, Anita L. Roseboro, and MarZé Scott MULTIPLE "S.L. Jennings, Naleighna Kai, J.D. Mason, Shak...
Olympia Scott
Olympia Scott NONE Olympia Scott, a Brooklyn native and English major at Medgar Evers College, is a creative writer and intern at AALBC. She contributes useful content and aims to help other writers ...
Melvin Tolson
Melvin Tolson NONE Melvin B. Tolson Sr. (1898-1966) was a Modernist poet, educator, and politician from Missouri, known for his work on the African American experience and the Harlem Renaissance. His...
Charly Palmer
Charly Palmer 0000000036783693 Charly “Carlos” Palmer is a renowned artist, illustrator, and educator. Born in Alabama and trained in Chicago, he's famous for running a successful design studio and t...
Jacqueline Leigh
Jacqueline Leigh NONE Jacqueline Leigh is a children's book author and poet with a focus on Sierra Leone. Her notable works include a historical novel, The Heritage Keeper, and a nonfiction account o...
C.T. Vivian
C.T. Vivian 0000000114902644 Dr. C.T. Vivian was a civil rights leader, known for working with Martin Luther King Jr., and for developing VISION, an educational program that helped 700 Alabama studen...
Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry 0000000109136877 Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965) was a renowned American playwright and painter, best known for her Broadway production “A Raisin in the Sun.” Born in Chicago, to in...
Robert Fleming
Robert Fleming 0000000073689743 Support Robert Fleming’s Dialysis Journey Interested in psychology and sociology, I came to writing as a fluke in the early 1970s when a friend, Willard Je...
Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey 000000012031905X Broderick Steven Harvey, born in 1956, is a renowned comedian who started his career in the mid-1980s. He gained fame in 1994 as the host of “It's Showtime at the Apollo...
Randy Ross, Octavia E. Butler, Erin Aubry Kaplan, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Jervey Tervalon
Randy Ross, Octavia E. Butler, Erin Aubry Kaplan, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Jervey Tervalon MULTIPLE "Explore the works of authors Randy Ross, Wanda Coleman, Stanley Crouch, Gary Phillips, Octavia Butl...
Troy Johnson
Troy Johnson 0000000530602616 “I lead the world's oldest and largest online platform dedicated to books by and about people of African descent.” Troy Demetrius Johnson, founder and President of AALBC....
Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Nikki Giovanni, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks
Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Nikki Giovanni, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks MULTIPLE Prominent authors including Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Nikki Giovanni, ...
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 000000040525486X Troy Johnson, founder of AALBC.com, is involved with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a NYPL research library and ar...
Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall, with Pearl Cleage, Donna Hill, Parry Brown, Omar Tyree
Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall, with Pearl Cleage, Donna Hill, Parry Brown, Omar Tyree MULTIPLE Explore the works of acclaimed authors Tracy Price-Thompson, TaRessa Stovall, Pearl Cleage, D...
Steve Cannon
Steve Cannon 0000000363821597 Steve Cannon (1935-2019) was a key figure in the Black Arts Movement and a prominent Black writer from New Orleans. He moved to NYC in 1962, where he engaged in literary...
J. Ivy
J. Ivy NONE J. Ivy, a Chicago-born hip-hop poet, musician, and actor, has won a Peabody and Grammy award for his performances and collaborations with artists like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Bob Dylan. He...
Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon MULTIPLE Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Y...
Marcus Mosiah Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey 0000000121272214 “Up! You mighty race, you can accomplish what you will.” Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a prominent publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and advocate for Bl...
Ronald Fair
Ronald Fair 0000000116782340 Chicago-born African-American author, Ronald L. Fair, inspired by Richard Wright, carved his own literary path. Born in 1932, Fair served in the U.S. Navy before becoming...
Nikki Turner
Nikki Turner 0000000040675687 Nikki Turner, renowned as “The Queen of Hip Hop Fiction”, is an Essence best-selling author known for shedding light on the unseen side of street life. Balancing work an...
Richard Wright
Richard Wright 0000000079803105 Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908-1960), born in poverty and racial discrimination in Mississippi, was a prolific writer aiming to unite Black and White worlds. Known ini...
Tayari Jones
Tayari Jones 0000000034178764 Born in Atlanta, GA in 1970, Tayari Jones is an accomplished author and educator. After obtaining her Masters from the University of Iowa, she taught Developmental Readi...
Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka 0000000122837862 Winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature Wole Soyinka, born July 13, 1934, is the first Black Nobel Laureate in Literature, awarded in 1986 for his work that fashions...
William H. Armstrong
William H. Armstrong 0000000121219974 William H. Armstrong, a celebrated author and educator, taught at the Kent School for over 50 years. Known for his award-winning children's book “Sounder”, he ha...
Mae V. Cowdery
Mae V. Cowdery 0000000068646714 Mae V. Cowdery (1909–1948) was a gifted poet of the Harlem Renaissance whose work explored racial pride, love, and sensuality with unusual candor for her era. Born in...
Anthony Browder
Anthony Browder NONE Anthony T. Browder, a cultural historian, artist, and educational consultant, is renowned for his extensive research on ancient Egyptian history and culture. A founder of IKG Cul...
Sharon Bell Mathis
Sharon Bell Mathis 0000000063330251 Sharon Bell Mathis, initially a teacher, became an acclaimed author known for her middle-grade novels and picture books. Her works such as 'Sidewalk Story', 'Tea C...
David Garrow, Clayborne Carson, Bill Kovach, and Carol Polsgrove
David Garrow, Clayborne Carson, Bill Kovach, and Carol Polsgrove MULTIPLE David Garrow, Clayborne Carson, Bill Kovach, and Carol Polsgrove are renowned authors and scholars, each contributing signifi...
Natalie Y. Moore
Natalie Y. Moore 0000000041217426 Natalie Y. Moore is an award-winning journalist and author, known for her work in Essence, Black Enterprise, and the Chicago Tribune. She co-authored books on Black ...
Innosanto Nagara
Innosanto Nagara 0000000408362751 Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, the author moved to the U.S. in 1988 for zoology studies. He penned 'A is for Activist' for his son, which gained popularity through a Ki...
Chancellor Williams
Chancellor Williams NONE Dr. Chancellor James Williams (1898-1992) was a pivotal scholar in the study of Nile Valley Civilization. Born to former slaves, he became an acclaimed author, university pro...
Fred W. Kennedy
Fred W. Kennedy 0000000062844912 Fred W. Kennedy is a former secondary school teacher and principal who has transitioned into writing Jamaican historical fiction. His latest work, “Huareo: Story of a...
Darline Dorce-Coupet
Darline Dorce-Coupet NONE Darline Dorce-Coupet was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti but was raised in Miami, Florida, which was home for years. However, Ms. Dorce-Coupet has recently relocated...
John Conyers Jr.
John Conyers Jr. 0000000025669916 John Conyers Jr. was a long-serving Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan, representing Detroit and its surrounding areas from 1965 t...