AALBC Search
Whitney J. Leblanc
Whitney J. Leblanc NONE Whitney J. LeBlanc is a Louisiana-born author and Hollywood veteran with over 25 years of experience in theater and television. He's known for his trilogy about a Creole famil...
Walter White
Walter White 0000000081462565 “I am a Negro. My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me.” Explore A.J. Baime's 2022 autobiograp...
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...
Kathryn M. Johnson
Kathryn M. Johnson NONE Compiler of “The Two Foot Shelf of Negro Literature” Kathryn Magnolia Johnson, born in the Jim Crow Era, was a champion for literacy, education, and social justice....
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...
Armond White
Armond White 0000000031792179 Armond Allen White, born in 1953, is a renowned film and music critic. He served as the arts editor for The City Sun and later wrote for New York Press. He was the edito...
Judith Tick
Judith Tick 000000008391588X Judith Tick, a renowned professor emerita of music history at Northeastern University, is recognized for her award-winning work in American music and women's history in m...
Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen 0000000081534450 Countée Porter Cullen (1903-1946) was a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his poetry books “Color” and “Copper Sun.” He taught and mentored James ...
Juan Boria
Juan Boria NONE Jaime Torres Torres, known as Juan Boria, was a celebrated Puerto Rican poet and actor born in 1906. Despite humble beginnings, he earned a university degree and taught for 37 years. ...
Roxane Orgill
Roxane Orgill NONE Roxane Orgill is a seasoned music critic and author with over 20 years of experience, having worked with The Wall Street Journal and The Milwaukee Journal. She is known for her bio...
Theodore W. Allen
Theodore W. Allen 000000003475678X Theodore W. Allen (1919-2005) was an activist and intellectual who pioneered work on white privilege. He co-authored 'White Blindspot', authored 'Can White Workers ...
Albert E. White
Albert E. White NONE Albert E. White is a business and finance expert with 30 years of experience. Known for advising top CEOs and identifying market trends, he's held senior positions in energy and ...
Nelson George
Nelson George 0000000115805862 Nelson George, born in 1957, is a renowned columnist, critic, journalist, filmmaker, and author of 21 books, including bestseller 'The Michael Jackson Story'. A pioneer...
Maureen Mahon
Maureen Mahon 0000000063123420 Maureen Mahon, a cultural anthropologist with a Ph.D. from NYU, focuses on African American music and culture, race and gender in music, and related socio-cultural aspe...
Earl Douglas, Jr.
Earl Douglas, Jr. MULTIPLE Earl Douglas, Jr. is a key figure in the music industry, renowned for his role with the Black Rock Coalition (BRC). As an executive director, he supports and promotes diver...
Sterling D. Plumpp
Sterling D. Plumpp 0000000081297870 “You can not ever get free as a result of legislationHellip;you always have to take freedom.” Sterling Dominic Plumpp, born 1940, is an esteemed poet, e...
Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley 000000011476515X Ziggy Marley, five-time Grammy-winning musician, actor, and activist, was born in Jamaica to Bob and Rita Marley. He began his career in music at just 10 years old and l...
Arthur R. Flowers
Arthur R. Flowers NONE Arthur Flowers, a Vietnam veteran, blues singer, and Memphis native, is a co-founder of the New Renaissance Writer's Guild and a notable performance poet. He teaches at Syracus...
Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker 0000000118447431 Herbert Aptheker, a renowned educator and author, is known for his contributions to institutions like Bryn Mawr College and Yale University. Famous for his works on ...
Ross Victory
Ross Victory NONE J. Ross Victory is an award-winning author and music artist from Los Angeles. Known for his memoirs and music, he has a background in marketing, teaching, and music publishing. Draw...
Randy Weston
Randy Weston 0000000081037964 Randy Weston, born April 6, 1926, was a renowned jazz musician whose career spanned over six decades. Known for his unique fusion of African rhythms and jazz improvisati...
Melvin Gibbs
Melvin Gibbs 0000000055545607 Melvin Gibbs is a Grammy-nominated composer, musician, artist, and writer born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Widely recognized for his groundbreaking work across ja...
Neely Fuller, Jr.
Neely Fuller, Jr. MULTIPLE AALBC Mourns the Passing of Neely Fuller, Jr. Neely Fuller, Jr., born in 1929, is an author and activist committed to combating racism. His work, influenced by personal expe...
Demoine Kinney
Demoine Kinney NONE Demoine Kinney is a pastor, Air Force veteran, actor, comedian, and self-taught saxophonist known for his positive messages and unique style. Noted for his role in The Avengers, h...
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...
Benjamin Brawley
Benjamin Brawley 000000010856022X Benjamin G. Brawley was a prominent author and educator, born in 1882. He earned degrees from Morehouse College, University of Chicago, and Harvard. Brawley taught E...
Charles S. Johnson
Charles S. Johnson 0000000108707076 Charles Spurgeon Johnson was a prominent 20th-century black sociologist, key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, and a Ph.D. graduate from the University of Chicago....
Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka 0000000446460520 Amiri Baraka, also known as LeRoi Jones, was a prolific 20th-century African American writer, poet, and Obie-winning playwright. Known for works such as “Blues People” a...
Alexandra Morton
Alexandra Morton 0000000078676423 Alexandra Morton, host of The Book Look and 2011 Miss Black America-Baltimore, offers a unique online book review show on NewsOne.com. Featuring the latest book news...
James Ward
James Ward 0000000003087499 James Theodore Ward was a pivotal figure in the Black Chicago Renaissance, known as the “dean of black dramatists.” He co-founded the Negro Playwrights Company and wrote o...
Elizabeth White
Elizabeth White 0000000114807460 Elizabeth White is a Harvard and Johns Hopkins-educated author, aging advocate, and adjunct professor. She specializes in financial jeopardy and uncertain work situat...
Sheila E. Anderson
Sheila E. Anderson NONE Sheila Anderson, raised in a music-loving family in Buffalo, New York, shifted from music to civil rights at 16, becoming the New York State Youth President of the NAACP. Desp...
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams 0000000055219713 Yolanda Adams, known as “The First Lady of Modern Gospel,” is a renowned contemporary gospel artist with numerous awards, including five Grammys. Born in Houston on Aug...
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers MULTIPLE Timothy Z. Mosley, known as Timbaland, is a renowned music producer, part of hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, and CEO of Mosley Music Group. Veronica Chambers, ...
Meta Smith
Meta Smith NONE "MÑta Smith is a multi-talented individual from Chicago with experience in acting, dancing, DJing, and writing. Having served in various roles in music, film, and philanthropy, she h...
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey 0000000114722280 Mariah Carey is an author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, producer, and multiple award-winning artist and songwriter. She is the best-selling female artist of all time w...
Herbert J. Seligmann
Herbert J. Seligmann 0000000108046757 Herbert J. Seligmann was a New York-based author and journalist, Harvard graduate, and contributed to various prominent publications. Notable works include 'The ...
Ramon Hervey II
Ramon Hervey II NONE Ramon Hervey II is a renowned entertainment manager, brand consultant, and PR specialist. With four decades of experience, his firm Hervey & Company has represented hundreds of a...
Shawn Amos
Shawn Amos 0000000406826567 Shawn Amos, globally recognized Blues musician and son of cookie tycoon, Wally Amos, balances his music career with his role at NYC firm Hudson Cutler. A dedicated father,...
Sean Anderson
Sean Anderson 0000000078343215 Sean Anderson, son of Jamaican immigrants, is a New York-based writer, educator, and youth advocate. His works reflect his unique experiences growing up in 80s NYC and ...
Victor H. Green
Victor H. Green 0000000361280061 Victor Hugo Green was a postal worker and travel writer from Harlem, New York. Best known for creating “The Green Book,” a travel guide for African Americans navigati...
Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez 0000000080885435 Sonia Sanchez (b. 1934) is a significant figure in the Black Arts Movement, known for her innovative and original poetry that explores racial and gender struggles. Her ...
Winthrop D. Jordan
Winthrop D. Jordan 0000000108632318 Winthrop Donaldson Jordan was a distinguished historian recognized for exploring slavery, race, and American history. His pioneering research into the roots and pe...
Richard B. Moore
Richard B. Moore 0000000082432341 Moore was an early advocate for the use of “African American” as opposed to “Negro” or “Black.” Richard Benjamin Moore was an infl...
Arisa White and Laura Atkins
Arisa White and Laura Atkins MULTIPLE Arisa White and Laura Atkins are accomplished authors and educators. White's expertise lies in poetry while Atkins specializes in children's literature. Both are...
Artress Bethany White
Artress Bethany White NONE Artress Bethany White, PhD, is an award-winning poet, essayist, and literary critic known for her poetry collections and scholarly essays. Her notable works include 'My Afm...
Jimmie Allen
Jimmie Allen 0000000465260495 Jimmie Allen is a multi-platinum American recording artist and the first Black artist to achieve two consecutive #1 hits on country radio and win the ACM New Male Artist...
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes 0000000121303076 “Democracy will not come / Today, this year, nor ever / Through compromise and fear.” Langston Hughes, The Poet Laureate of Harlem: Author, Poet, Essayist, Novelist, P...
Hisani P. Dubose
Hisani P. Dubose NONE “The Best Black Director of 2005” —Kam Williams Hisani DuBose is a Seton Hall University graduate, former dancer and singer turned screenwriter. She's directed ...
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 ...
Orrin C. Evans
Orrin C. Evans NONE Orrin Cromwell Evans (1902-1971) was a trailblazing African-American journalist and comic book publisher. He's recognized as the first black general assignment reporter for a main...
Brandon McCalla
Brandon McCalla NONE Brandon Dewitt McCalla, a Brooklyn native, is an author inspired by comic books and J.R.R. Tolkien. After studying English in college and exploring the music industry, he realize...
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X 0000000476080561 Lil Nas X, a Grammy-winning rapper from Georgia, gained fame with his viral hit Old Town Road. The first Black, openly gay rapper to win a Grammy, he's been honored with nu...
Sam Greenlee
Sam Greenlee 000000005809192X Samuel Greenlee, best known for his novel “The Spook Who Sat by the Door”, was a writer and former USIA officer. Born in Chicago, he served in the military, worked in po...
Esi Edugyan
Esi Edugyan 0000000073726743 Canadian author Esi Edugyan, renowned for acclaimed novels like 'Half-Blood Blues' and 'Washington Black', has earned prestigious recognition, including the Scotiabank Gi...
aja monet
aja monet 0000000370068724 aja monet is a surrealist blues poet, storyteller, and organizer born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She won the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam poetry award title i...
Edward Wilmot Blyden
Edward Wilmot Blyden 0000000081343910 Edward Wilmot Blyden, born in 1832, was a multilingual writer and considered the “father of Pan-Africanism.” His major work, Christianity, Islam and the Negro Ra...
Caroline Randall Williams
Caroline Randall Williams 0000000371378337 Caroline Randall Williams, born in 1987, is a multi-genre writer and educator based in Nashville, Tennessee. She's well-recognized for her award-winning wor...
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...
John Valentine
John Valentine NONE John Valentine, born in 60s' Mississippi, is a writer and cultural historian. From a background of poverty and racism, Valentine channeled his experiences into understanding the h...
Karen English
Karen English NONE Karen English, renowned for her children's books, is a multiple award-winning author recognized for addressing racial injustice. Raised in 1960s Los Angeles, she began writing at a...
Burnett Kwadwo Gallman
Burnett Kwadwo Gallman NONE Burnett Kwadwo Gallman, a native of Hartsville, SC, is a medical graduate from Hahnemann Medical College. As a physician, his research aims to eliminate racial health disp...
Mazaradi Fox
Mazaradi Fox NONE Mazaradi Fox, born Jamal Green, was a childhood friend of 50 Cent and a prominent figure in Queens, New York. Known for his love of cars and “dum out” lifestyle, which he often refl...
Mandisa Hundley
Mandisa Hundley 0000000046764760 Mandisa Lynn Hundley was a Grammy-award winning artist known for her Christian music. She began her career singing backup for renowned artists and later topped Christ...
Patrick Denard Douthit
Patrick Denard Douthit 0000000047281613 Patrick Denard Douthit, known as “9th Wonder”, is a Grammy-winning producer, DJ, lecturer, and social activist from Winston-Salem, NC. Born in 1975, he has bee...
Tai Allen
Tai Allen NONE Tai Allen, a renowned Brooklyn-based creative director, poet, and musician, has excelled in multiple disciplines. His poetry and music have gained recognition from notable publications...
Eileen Southern
Eileen Southern 0000000108921347 Dr. Eileen Southern, born in 1920, was the first black female tenured professor at Harvard. Renowned for her seminal works on Black music, including “The Music of Bla...
Paul Porter
Paul Porter 0000000032557824 Paul Porter is a seasoned radio, music, and television professional with four decades of experience. Known for his deep voice and expertise, Porter has spent 10 years at ...
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh 0000000117591917 Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh (1944-1987), was a prominent Jamaican musician and activist. Raised in Trench Town, his musical skills were honed in church choir ...
Victor L. Wooten
Victor L. Wooten NONE Victor Lemonte Wooten, a five-time Grammy-winning bass player, composer, and producer, is known as an original member of the Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. He's also the author...
Diane D. Turner
Diane D. Turner NONE Diane D. Turner is the curator for Temple University's Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection. Her expertise lies in Black history, film, and music. She authored the childr...
Michael Eric Dyson
Michael Eric Dyson 0000000108900116 Michael Eric Dyson is a distinguished scholar, Baptist minister, and public intellectual known for his innovative scholarship on race, religion, and popular cultur...
Ryan Press
Ryan Press NONE Ryan Press, President of Warner Chappell Music, is a veteran in the music industry with a career spanning decades. His extensive experience and deep understanding of the music busine...
Thembisa S. Mshaka
Thembisa S. Mshaka NONE Thembisa S. Mshaka is a versatile creative executive, author, producer, filmmaker, and voice actor, renowned for her award-winning global ad campaigns and writings. She is the...
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...
Cole Riley
Cole Riley NONE Cole Riley is a renowned journalist and reviewer, known for his work in anthologies and magazines such as SexIs Magazine. He has also edited popular anthologies like 'Making The Hook-...
Phyllis R. Dixon
Phyllis R. Dixon NONE Phyllis R. Dixon, acclaimed author of notable works including Intermission and Down Home Blues, is a contributor to various publications. A graduate of the University of Wiscons...
James Earl Hardy
James Earl Hardy 0000000042416478 James Earl Hardy is the author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series, including B-Boy Blues, which has been praised as the first gay hip hop love story and is celeb...
Denny S. Bryce
Denny S. Bryce NONE Denny S. Bryce is an acclaimed author, former dancer, and PR professional. Known for her work in NPR Books, FROLIC Media, and her novel 'Wild Women and the Blues', she's a member ...
Dean Conan
Dean Conan 0000000082266515 Dean Conan, real name Harold Phifer, is a writer from Atlanta inspired by his early years in nightclubs with his blues singer mother. After unsuccessful attempts in Hollyw...
Kevin Young
Kevin Young 0000000109530225 Kevin Young, born in 1970, is a renowned poet and teacher influenced by Hughes, Berryman, Dickinson, and Basquiat. A Harvard graduate, Young authored multiple poetry book...
Rachel M. Harper
Rachel M. Harper 0000000040693017 Rachel M. Harper, acclaimed author of novels “Brass Ankle Blues” & “This Side of Providence”, is a Pushcart Prize nominee and Ernest J. Gaines Award finalist. A reci...
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples 0000000080055378 Mavis Staples, born in 1939, is a renowned musician from Chicago, acclaimed for her multiple Grammy Awards and inductions into the Blues, Gospel, and Rock & Roll Halls ...
Mark Makabi
Mark Makabi NONE Mark Makabi is an accomplished author from Brockton, Massachusetts, who is passionate about education, justice, religion, and history. The seventh of ten children, Makabi founded Bit...
g. haron davis, Cam Montgomery, and Adrianne White
g. haron davis, Cam Montgomery, and Adrianne White MULTIPLE "G. Haron Davis, Cam Montgomery, and Adrianne White are prominent authors, each renowned in their respective genres. Davis's expertise lie...
Khary Lazarre-White
Khary Lazarre-White NONE Khary Lazarre-White, Esq., co-founder and Executive Director of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, is renowned for his innovative leadership. Born in 1974 in New York City, he's a r...
Gayle Jessup White
Gayle Jessup White NONE Gayle Jessup White, former award-winning TV reporter and PR & Community Engagement Officer at Monticello, is a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and two families enslaved ...
Ismail K. White and Chryl N. Laird
Ismail K. White and Chryl N. Laird MULTIPLE Ismail K. White is a politics professor at Princeton University and co-editor of a book on African-American political psychology. Chryl N. Laird is an assi...
Harold Cruse
Harold Cruse 0000000385541959 Harold Wright Cruse (1916-2005) was a notable American academic and social critic. He taught African American studies at the University of Michigan. His most famous work...
Alain Locke
Alain Locke 0000000108789294 Celebrate the Centennial of Survey Graphic on March 23, 2025, at 6 PM ET. Register Here Born in 1886, Alain LeRoy Locke was an influential educator, writer, and phil...
Ed Clayton
Ed Clayton 0000000064013127 Edward Taylor Clayton (April 2, 1921 - September 11, 1966) was a well-known editor, author, and reporter. He worked on special assignments for Life magazine and contribut...
Anita Bunkley
Anita Bunkley NONE Anita Richmond Bunkley is a highly-acclaimed author and motivational speaker. Overcoming initial rejections, she self-published her first novel and has since written five more, all...
E. Franklin Frazier
E. Franklin Frazier 0000000110444690 Edward F. Frazier (1894-1962) was a renowned American sociologist and author. His influential work, “The Negro Family in the United States,” won the 1940 Anisfiel...
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...
W.E.B. Du Bois
W.E.B. Du Bois 0000000108863087 Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois was a prominent scholar and writer in American history. Born in 1868, he was the first Black person to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard. He established ...
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck 0000000081402175 Raoul Peck is a renowned filmmaker known for narrative films and documentaries like Lumumba and I Am Not Your Negro. A jury member at Cannes and Berlinale, he chairs the b...
Silas Xavier Floyd
Silas Xavier Floyd 0000000047218155 Silas Xavier Floyd (1869-1923) was an African-American educator, preacher, and journalist. He co-founded the Negro Press Association of Georgia, served as a pastor...
Johnnetta Betsch Cole
Johnnetta Betsch Cole 0000000033467652 Johnnetta B. Cole, Ph.D., is a renowned anthropologist and educator who has served as president of both Spelman and Bennet Colleges, and Director of the Smithso...
P. Djèlí Clark
P. Djèlí Clark 0000000509439754 Phenderson Djèlà Clark, born in New York and raised in Houston and Trinidad and Tobago, is an award-winning author known for his novellas The Black God’s Drums and T...
Morgan Parker
Morgan Parker NONE Morgan Parker is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and novelist. She's known for her YA novel 'Who Put This Song On?', poetry collections 'There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé'...