AALBC Search
The Last Poets
The Last Poets 0000000109403584 The Last Poets, formed in 1969, are influential street poets who gained fame with their debut LP in 1970, reaching the U.S. Top 10 album charts. Members include Abiodu...
Tom Feelings
Tom Feelings 0000000063291627 Tom Feelings was a Brooklyn-born author, illustrator, and activist who portrayed the African-American experience through his work. He had a distinguished career, winning...
Jess Mowry
Jess Mowry 0000000080841328 Jess Mowry is an author of children's and young adult books often set in Oakland, California, dealing with contemporary themes. Raised by his father, he developed a love f...
Abiodun Oyewole
Abiodun Oyewole NONE Abiodun Oyewole is a pioneering poet, teacher, and founding member of the influential American music and spoken-word group, The Last Poets. With a rich contribution to Hip-Hop's ...
Matthew A. Cherry
Matthew A. Cherry 0000000500418922 Former NFL wide receiver, Matthew A. Cherry, transitioned into filmmaking after his retirement in 2007. He's known for directing over 20 music videos, his feature f...
Sharrif Simmons
Sharrif Simmons NONE Sharrif Simmons, a poet, musician, writer, and arts educator, has a performance career extending over three decades. Inspired by veteran poet Sonia Sanchez and influenced by vari...
Faye Childs
Faye Childs NONE Faye Childs, born 1956, was a literary agent committed to promoting Black literature. She founded the Black Board Bestsellers list, a platform that increased visibility for Black aut...
Charles Fuller
Charles Fuller 0000000109011919 Charles H. Fuller, Jr. is an acclaimed author and playwright known for his works on racial tensions. Notably, he wrote The Village: A Party, The Brownsville Raid, and ...
J.D. Mason
J.D. Mason NONE J.D. Mason is a distinguished author with over a decade of professional writing. She self-published her debut novel twice before signing with a NYC publisher. Her work, featuring a po...
Kitty Kelley
Kitty Kelley 0000000121422825 Catherine “Kitty” Kelley, born April 4, 1942, is a renowned writer known for her bestselling biographies on influential personalities. Her last five works topped the New...
Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan
Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan MULTIPLE The Last Poets are a group of musicians and poets, known for their African-American-themed performances that blend jazz, rhythm, and spoken words. Their i...
Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans 000000005928060X Damon Wayans, a NY Times bestselling author and award-winning actor from a renowned Hollywood family, is known for his roles in 'In Living Color' and 'My Wife and Kids'....
Don Fulton
Don Fulton NONE Don Fulton, a Washington D.C. native, is a screenwriter inspired by the lack of quality and diverse Christmas films in Hollywood. His screenplay, “Please Come Home for Christmas,” is ...
Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish 0000000475934019 Tiffany Sarac Haddish is a pioneering black female stand-up comedian, popularly known for hosting SNL and her role in 'Girls Trip'. She's also a successful author, wi...
Brendan Kiely
Brendan Kiely 0000000427845214 Brendan Kiely, a New York Times bestselling author known for 'All American Boys', 'The Last True Love Story', and 'The Gospel of Winter'. His award-winning work has bee...
Wright Thompson
Wright Thompson NONE Wright Thompson is one of the most cherished sports writers in America. His books, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last (2020) and The Cost of The...
Sam Anderson
Sam Anderson 0000000119000682 Dr. Sam Anderson, a veteran activist and educator, is a renowned mathematics professor and Senior Editor of NOBO. A founding member of the Network of Black Organizers an...
Albert B. Cleage, Jr.
Albert B. Cleage, Jr. MULTIPLE Albert B. Cleage Jr., also known as Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman, was a Black nationalist Christian minister, author, and political organizer. He founded the Shrine of the Bl...
Julia Hare
Julia Hare NONE Dr. Julia Hare (1939-2019) was a renowned motivational speaker and influential figure in black communities both in America and abroad. Known for her powerful speeches about black lead...
Dorothy West
Dorothy West 0000000117719538 Dorothy West (1907-1998) was an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance and the last surviving member. Known for her short stories, she debuted with her novel 'The ...
Sandra Kitt
Sandra Kitt 0000000082039611 This article about Sandra Kitt was written by Leah Mullen and originally appeared on WritersandPoets.com © 2001, If you’re an aspiring writer but think you don’...
Huey P. Newton
Huey P. Newton 000000010924806X Huey P. Newton, born February 17, 1942, was a key figure in the US civil rights and Black Power movements. A co-founder of the Black Panther Party, he championed self-...
James H. Cone
James H. Cone 0000000381571755 James Hal Cone (1938-2018) was a renowned theologian known for advocating black theology and black liberation theology. His seminal work, Black Theology and Black Power...
Historical Research Department of the Nation of Islam
Historical Research Department of the Nation of Islam NONE This author explores the historical relationship between Black and Jewish communities, claiming that Black leaders advocating for economic a...
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany MULTIPLE Sarah Delany, the last of the Delany sisters, passed away at 109. Born to a former slave, she was the first colored woman to teach home economics in w...
Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale 0000000108724909 Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, is a key figure in the civil rights and Black Power movements. He helped establish the party's ideology and Ten-Point ...
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....
Nathan Hare
Nathan Hare 0000000116200187 Dr. Nathan Hare, known as “the Father of Black Studies,” was the first coordinator of a black studies program in the US. Despite being fired for his role in a student-led...
The Black Dot
The Black Dot NONE The Black Dot is renowned for his insight into the metaphysical aspects of Hip Hop, contributing to various media outlets and authoring the game-changing book, “Hip Hop Decoded.” A...
Doni Glover
Doni Glover NONE Doni Glover is the founder of the Original Black Wall Street SERIES and blackwallstreetnews.com. He's an influential voice in Maryland's black community, often sought for insights on...
Marvin X
Marvin X 0000000023827167 Marvin X, born in 1944, is a renowned poet, playwright, and essayist associated with the Black Arts Movement. Known for co-founding the Black House and Black Arts/West Theat...
Brook Stephenson
Brook Stephenson NONE AALBC.com Mourns the Loss of Brook Stephenson (February 12, 1974 — August 8, 2015) …just last week Brook was at the Corridor Gallery hosting a reading of work created...
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington 0000000114635056 Kerry Washington, an Emmy-winning actor, director, and producer from The Bronx, is known for her groundbreaking role in ABC's Scandal and films like Django Unchained...
Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams NONE Brandon Williams, author of “Self-Value: The Story of Me,” shares his inspiring journey from childhood homelessness and delinquency to success. Raised in a low-income community,...
Howard L. Bingham
Howard L. Bingham NONE Howard L. Bingham, the first black photographer in the Hollywood Camera Guild, is known for his intimate photos of Muhammad Ali and the Black Panthers. His remarkable career in...
Askia M. Toure
Askia M. Toure 0000000043979889 Askia Muhammad Touré, born Rolland Snellings in 1938, is a renowned poet, essayist, and political editor associated with the Black Arts Movement. He has served as edi...
Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Alexis Pauline Gumbs 000000011229354X Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a queer black feminist and academic who has pioneered archival research in Black feminist geniuses' works. She founded grassroots publish...
Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor
Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor NONE Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor is a Washington DC-based cultural communications specialist and author. She founded the National Black Cultural Information Trust, using...
Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt 0000000117741647 Marsha Hunt, born 1946, is a British-based actress, singer, and novelist, best known for her role in the rock musical 'Hair'. She has written autobiographies and novels, ...
Denise Turney
Denise Turney NONE Denise Turney is an experienced novelist, journalist, and editor with over 30 years of writing experience. She hosts an internationally recognized radio program and writes for seve...
Jake Lamar
Jake Lamar 0000000042394002 Jake Lamar, a Bronx native, is a renowned author of the memoir, Bourgeois Blues, and novels including The Last Integrationist and Close to the Bone. Residing in Paris sinc...
Dwayne Alexander Smith
Dwayne Alexander Smith NONE Born in Harlem, Dwayne Alexander Smith is a professional screenwriter who shifted from electrical engineering to film-making. Inspired by Star Wars, he began with an award...
Judith Giesberg
Judith Giesberg 0000000110697567 Judith Giesberg is professor of history and Robert M. Birmingham chair in the humanities at Villanova University. She is the founder and director of the Last Seen ar...
C. N. Phillips
C. N. Phillips NONE C. N. Phillips, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, is a renowned author known for her gritty series, The Last Kings. Signed to Carl Weber’s Urban Books, her storytelling finesse has ear...
Bruce Schoenfeld
Bruce Schoenfeld NONE Bruce Schoenfeld is a renowned journalist and author, contributing to Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure, and the New York Times Magazine. He won Emmy Awards for his Olympic G...
Bill Bellamy
Bill Bellamy 0000000039637261 Bill Bellamy, renowned for hosting and producing TV One's “Who’s Got Jokes?”, is a former MTV VJ and host. He's starred in films and TV shows like Fled, Love Jones, and ...
Torman Jahi
Torman Jahi NONE Torman Jahi, for the last 27 years, has been known as an international hip-hop artist, born and raised in East Cleveland, Ohio, and calling Oakland home for the last 25 years. Jahi,...
Kiran H. J. Dellimore
Kiran H. J. Dellimore NONE Kiran Dellimore, a scientist, inventor, and author based in Utrecht, has authored three books on diverse topics. A keen runner, squash player, and rock climber, he is curre...
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...
Matthew F. Delmont
Matthew F. Delmont 0000000356157878 Matthew F. Delmont is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College. An expert on African American history and the history of ...
George Jackson
George Jackson 0000000140482524 George Jackson, born September 23, 1941, was a key figure in the Black Power movement and a member of the Black Panther Party. He gained prominence through his activis...
Daniel Black
Daniel Black NONE Daniel Omotosho Black, a Kansas City native, is an accomplished scholar and author. Raised in Arkansas, he studied English at Clark College under a full scholarship, later attending...
Robyn C. Spencer
Robyn C. Spencer 0000000117365645 Robyn C. Spencer is a historian and Associate Professor at Lehman College, CUNY. She specializes in post-WWII social protest, urban and working-class radicalism, and...
W. Paul Coates
W. Paul Coates 0000000029319323 Coates Wins the 2024 Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation W. Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press, specializes in republishing significant work...
Jawanza Kunjufu
Jawanza Kunjufu NONE AALBC Mourns the Passing of Jawanza Kunjufu Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu is an educational consultant and prolific author specializing in African-American issues. Known for his dynamic lec...
Kehinde Andrews
Kehinde Andrews 0000000459713136 Kehinde Nkosi Andrews is a Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, founder and director of the Centre for Critical Social Research, and co-founder o...
Fred Lee Hord
Fred Lee Hord NONE Dr. Fred Lee Hord, born in 1941, is the founder and Executive Director of the Association for Black Culture Centers. He's a professor at Knox College and Director of its Africana S...
Nathan Hare and Julia Hare
Nathan Hare and Julia Hare MULTIPLE Here is information about the husband and wife team of Dr. Nathan Hare & Dr Julia Hare, founders of the Black Think Tank Dr. Nathan Hare Dr. Nathan Hare...
Anna J. Cooper
Anna J. Cooper 0000000116155726 Cooper was one of the last known survivors of legalized American slavery. Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1858–1964) was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and spent her ...
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...
Mbozi Haimbe
Mbozi Haimbe NONE Mbozi Haimbe, a Zambian author, writes African-inspired fiction. Her work has been published by Granta, Catapult, and Catalyst Press. She's a panelist, guest speaker, scriptwriter, ...
Idza Luhumyo
Idza Luhumyo NONE Idza Luhumyo, born in 1993, is a rising star in African literature, known for her award-winning works. She earned the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award in 2020 and the Sh...
Nadia Salomon
Nadia Salomon NONE Nadia Salomon is a #PitMad Success Story and award-winning author of A Voice of Hope: The Myrlie Evers Williams Story, the first picture book biography ever written about the iconi...
Prince Justice
Prince Justice NONE Prince Justice, born into a Nigerian ruling house and raised in Africa, is a London-born author who studied in Africa and the US. Living in various Black communities across Americ...
Roy Glenn
Roy Glenn 0000000067434664 Roy Glenn, a renowned author famous for his vivid imagination, began his writing career with his self-published novel, “Is It a Crime.” The book birthed the popular charact...
William Melvin Kelley
William Melvin Kelley 0000000108984997 William Melvin Kelley was a notable American novelist and short-story writer, known for using African American comedy to critique racial attitudes. He taught li...
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. MULTIPLE Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Nobel laureate, was a key figure in the nonviolent civil rights movement and one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. A ...
Louise Meriwether
Louise Meriwether 0000000110768302 Louise Meriwether was a renowned novelist, essayist, journalist, and activist, best known for her children's biographies of significant African Americans. Born in N...
David Covin
David Covin 0000000084071877 David Covin was a Professor Emeritus of Government and Ethnic Studies at CSU Sacramento and Past President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. He wa...
John Riddick, Jr.
John Riddick, Jr. MULTIPLE John Riddick, Jr., editor of Rhapsody in Black, a quarterly literary magazine, showcased selected national writers and artists' talents. This publication aimed to promote d...
Mark Anthony Neal
Mark Anthony Neal 0000000114756800 Mark Anthony Neal, a distinguished professor at Duke University, is the founding director of the Center for Arts, Digital Culture, and Entrepreneurship. He co-direc...
Jenn M. Jackson
Jenn M. Jackson NONE Jenn M. Jackson, PhD, is a respected political science professor at Syracuse University, Teen Vogue columnist, and author. A queer androgynous Black woman, her work focuses on Bl...
Clyde R. Taylor
Clyde R. Taylor NONE Clyde Russell Taylor was a vital figure in African American studies, known for his influential work in film and cultural criticism. He focused on the portrayal of Black people in...
Robin Walker
Robin Walker 000000006356551X Robin Walker is a London-born author and editor known for his work on Black history and culture. He co-edited the influential Black Community Reports and authored books ...
Eric Jerome Dickey
Eric Jerome Dickey 0000000063940201 Born and raised in Memphis, TN, the author graduated from the University of Memphis and worked various jobs before becoming a stand-up comedian and actor. He's als...
Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington 0000000114628411 Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was a pivotal African American educator, author, and advisor to presidents. Born into slavery, he rose to become a key leader fo...
Charlamagne Tha God
Charlamagne Tha God 0000000486501489 Charlamagne Tha God, born Lenard McKelvey, is a renowned media personality and co-host of The Breakfast Club radio show and Brilliant Idiots podcast. He's also a ...
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg 0000000111353723 Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, born in Puerto Rico, was an Afro-Puerto Rican author, researcher, and activist who made significant contributions to the Harlem Ren...
Viola Ford Fletcher
Viola Ford Fletcher NONE ”Every day, I have lived through the massacre. While our country may forget this history, I cannot.” Viola Ford Fletcher, born in 1907, is a notable figure in Afri...
Bethonie Butler
Bethonie Butler NONE Bethonie Butler is a pop culture writer and former features reporter for The Washington Post. She has covered television and pop culture for nearly a decade and has released a c...
Iceberg Slim
Iceberg Slim 0000000107778710 Iceberg Slim, originally Robert Maupin, was a notorious pimp turned acclaimed author. Known for his icy demeanor and ruthless tactics, he controlled over 400 women durin...
B. Smith
B. Smith 0000000045066151 Barbara Elaine Smith (1949-2020) was a former fashion model and the first African-American woman on Mademoiselle’s cover. She also starred in TV commercials and served as a ...
Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah 0000000430715306 Trevor Noah, a successful African comedian and host of the award-winning 'The Daily Show', joined the show in 2014. He has multiple comedy specials, including his 9th, 'A...
Kenji Jasper
Kenji Jasper 0000000002779450 “My name is Kenji Nathaniel Jasper and I am author. But I know that in this day and age ‘authors’ come a dime a dozen. It is no longer an event when one of ou...
Shirley Neal
Shirley Neal NONE Shirley Neal is a renowned journalist, author, and documentarian specializing in Pop Culture, Africa, and Black Identity. Noted for her Forbes Africa cover story on Oprah Winfrey, s...
Brian Egeston
Brian Egeston NONE Brian Egeston, a writer and former engineer, uses his jovial demeanor and humor to transfer emotion through his words. He began writing to combat boredom, turning his short stories...
N. K. Jemisin
N. K. Jemisin 0000000107503776 Jemisin, in 2018, Became the Only Writer to Win 3 Best Novel Hugo Awards in Consecutive Years (note) Nora K. Jemisin, born in 1972, is a renowned speculative fiction aut...
SAGE
SAGE 0000000405025717 SAGE highlights the often overlooked contributions of Black women in women's rights movements and African American literature. The journal advocates for the development of Black...
Tamika Newhouse and Anna Black
Tamika Newhouse and Anna Black MULTIPLE Tamika Newhouse and Anna Black are acclaimed authors known for their captivating storytelling. Newhouse is also the founder of AAMBC, promoting black writers, ...
Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson
Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson MULTIPLE Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson, parents based in Northern NJ, founded Just Us Books in 1988 to address a lack of quality Black-interest children's ...
Useni Eugene Perkins
Useni Eugene Perkins 0000000082421407 Useni Eugene Perkins (1932-2023) was a renowned author, poet, playwright, social worker, and civil rights activist. Known for his work during the Chicago Black A...
Regina Black
Regina Black NONE Regina Black, a former civil litigator and current law school administrator, is passionate about depicting Black women in popular culture. She resides in Little Rock, Arkansas with ...
Kelly Brown Douglas
Kelly Brown Douglas 0000000042477422 The Very Reverend Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas was named Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Theology at Union in Sep...
Askhari Johnson Hodari
Askhari Johnson Hodari NONE Askhari Johnson Hodari, Ph.D. is a Black/Africana Studies practitioner, author, and founder of de Griot Space, an online workshop for Black writers. With a B.A. from Spelm...
Jeffrey C. Stewart
Jeffrey C. Stewart 0000000082117456 Dr. Jeffrey C. Stewart is a renowned professor and chair of Black Studies at UC Santa Barbara. With an academic background from UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, and Yale, he's...
Eldridge Cleaver
Eldridge Cleaver 0000000108667924 Leroy Eldridge Cleaver was a writer, political activist, and early leader of the Black Panther Party. His 1968 bestseller, “Soul on Ice,” is a collection of his pris...
Christina M. Greer
Christina M. Greer 0000000396951910 Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an NYU McSilver Institute Fellow, associate professor at Fordham University, and author of award-winning book Black Ethnics. She hosts “...
Clarence V. Reynolds
Clarence V. Reynolds NONE Clarence V. Reynolds is an independent editor and journalist, former director of Literary Programs at the Center for Black Literature and editor-in-chief of the Killens Revi...
Monique Couvson
Monique Couvson NONE Monique Couvson, Ed.D. is a scholar and author with over 20 years of experience in education, civil rights, and social justice. She's known for her work on improving conditions f...
Hubert Henry Harrison
Hubert Henry Harrison 0000000012399179 Hubert Henry Harrison (1883–1927) was a St. Croix-born writer, orator, and activist known for founding the “New Negro” movement and influencing the Civil Righ...