AALBC Search
William Gardner Smith
William Gardner Smith 0000000063221434 Influential writer and journalist William Gardner Smith (1927–1974) used his work to highlight racial inequality in America. His novels, such as The Stone Fac...
Donald Goines
Donald Goines 0000000080237403 Donald Goines (December 15, 1936 – October 21, 1974) was a writer of urban fiction. Goines was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were a middle-class Afri...
A.R. Bernard
A.R. Bernard NONE Dr. Alphonso R. Bernard, Sr., born in 1953, is the spiritual leader of the New York Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn. He left a banking career in 1979 to establish a church tha...
Taiye Selasi
Taiye Selasi 0000000384492964 Taiye Selasi, born in 1979, is an accomplished writer and photographer. Raised in Massachusetts by Nigerian and Ghanaian physicians, she earned degrees from Yale and Oxf...
Gloria Oden
Gloria Oden 0000000382838642 Gloria Catherine Oden (1923-2011) was a renowned poet, editor, and English professor from New York. A Pulitzer Prize nominee for her poetry collection 'Resurrections', sh...
Randy Krehbiel
Randy Krehbiel NONE Randy Krehbiel is a seasoned reporter for the Tulsa World, covering political affairs in Oklahoma and the US since 1979. He's also authored books about Tulsa's history and its loc...
Bob Avakian
Bob Avakian 0000000066625450 Robert Bruce Avakian, born in 1943, is a prominent figure in US communism. Raised in Berkeley, California, he has led the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA since 1979. H...
Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart 0000000081598956 Kevin Hart, born July 6, 1979, is a record-breaking comedian and actor from Philadelphia. Known for his unique style, he tours like a rockstar, performing in over 100 stad...
Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele 0000000401925080 Jordan Peele, born in 1979, is an acclaimed American writer, director, and producer. Notably, his debut film, Get Out (2017), won an Academy Award for Best Original Scre...
Mirah Riben
Mirah Riben NONE Mirah Riben is a renowned author of two globally acclaimed books and numerous articles, many featured in Huffington Post. Since 1979, she's been advocating for the reform and humaniz...
Ted Prigge
Ted Prigge NONE Ted Prigge, born in 1979, is a passionate movie reviewer and film school student at Temple University. Despite social challenges, he aspires to become a filmmaker or a successful Holl...
A. Igoni Barrett
A. Igoni Barrett 0000000051175274 A. Igoni Barrett, born in Nigeria in 1979, is an award-winning author of “Blackass.” He has received several fellowships, including the Chinua Achebe Center and Norm...
Walter Zacharius
Walter Zacharius NONE Walter Zacharius (1923-2011) was a WWII veteran and a noted philanthropist. He co-founded Kensington Publishing in 1974, expanding the romance genre and supporting diverse reade...
Ross Gay
Ross Gay 0000000040706017 Born in 1974, Ross Gay is a renowned author and editor, known for his books 'Against Which', 'Bringing the Shovel Down', and 'Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude'. He co-authored...
Millicent Graham
Millicent Graham NONE Millicent A. A. Graham, born in 1974, is a Jamaican poet known for her collections 'The Damp In Things' (2009) and 'The Way Home' (2014). She was a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writ...
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...
Pat Parker
Pat Parker 0000000106773440 Pat Parker (1944-1989) was a renowned African-American, lesbian-feminist poet and performer. Notable works include 'Jonestown & Other Madness' and 'Movement in Black'. She...
Aaron McGruder
Aaron McGruder 0000000037086910 Aaron McGruder, born in Chicago in 1974, is best known for creating the comic strip The Boondocks. Inspired by hip hop and politics, he debuted his work online in 1996...
Stanley Gazemba
Stanley Gazemba 0000000045040728 Stanley Gazemba, born 1974 in Kenya, is a renowned author of three novels and eight children's books, with his work recognized by the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for fiction....
Cherie Jones
Cherie Jones NONE Cherie S.A. Jones, born in 1974, is a decorated Barbadian author and lawyer. She earned her LL.B degree in 1995 and was admitted to the Barbados Bar in 1997. Known for her award-win...
Jay Wright
Jay Wright 000000007830315X “A Poet’s Poet” Jay Wright, born in 1934, is a prolific author of 15 books of poetry, 40+ plays, and essays. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and ...
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...
Emily Bernard
Emily Bernard 0000000109616520 Emily Bernard, born in Nashville, is a PhD holder from Yale University, recipient of several prestigious grants, and a published author, featured in The American Schola...
Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges
Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges NONE Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges (1950-2006) was a prominent professor of Social Work and African American Studies at California State University. She held a Ph.D. from Temple...
Zetta Elliott
Zetta Elliott 000000003627950X Zetta Elliott, a Canadian-born Black feminist writer, is known for her poetry, plays, essays, and children's novels. She earned a PhD in American Studies from NYU, taug...
Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead 0000000109128041 Congrats to Colson Whitehead: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Colson Whitehead, born in 1969, is an acclaimed writer who began his career at the Village Voice....
June Jordan
June Jordan 0000000114793687 June Millicent Jordan (1936-2002) was a renowned poet, activist, teacher, and essayist, known for her influential voice in liberation. A professor at UC Berkeley, she dir...
Jerald Walker
Jerald Walker NONE Jerald Walker is a distinguished author known for his memoirs and essays, with recognitions like the 2011 PEN New England Award for Nonfiction and honors from the National Book Awa...
Kei Miller
Kei Miller 000000037003708X Jamaican author, Kei Miller, born in 1978, writes across various genres including novels, essays, and poetry. His works have been shortlisted for several awards and he has...
Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay 0000000434301581 Roxane Gay, renowned writer and editor, has contributed to numerous publications and anthologies. She's co-editor of PANK, essays editor for The Rumpus, and teaches writin...
Donna Britt
Donna Britt NONE Donna Marie Britt, a renowned Washington Post columnist since 1991, shares stories about life and relationships. A graduate of Hampton University and University of Michigan, she auth...
Robbie Montgomery
Robbie Montgomery NONE Robbie Montgomery, “Miss Robbie,” is a former professional singer who worked with Ike Turner and other notable artists before opening a soul food restaurant, Sweetie Pie's, in ...
Walter Mosley
Walter Mosley 0000000114370035 Walter Mosley, born in 1952, is a renowned author known for his detective series, including the Easy Rawlins series. Inspired by his parents and authors like Alice Walk...
Julian Mims
Julian Mims NONE Julian Merrell Mims was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1979, the eldest son of Anthony Ronald Mims, a college football coach, and Virginia Mims, an elementary school teacher. ...
Venise Berry
Venise Berry NONE Venise Berry, an associate professor at the University of Iowa, is a highly accomplished author, researcher, and media professional. She has penned best-selling novels and co-author...
James T. Hollin, Jr.
James T. Hollin, Jr. MULTIPLE James T. Hollin, Jr. is a University of Arizona graduate, former USAF pilot, and retired Delta Air Lines captain. He pivoted his career to law, earning a Juris Doctor de...
Ray Billingsley
Ray Billingsley 0000000031424835 Ray Billingsley, creator of the comic strip “Curtis”, draws upon his personal experiences and urban life for inspiration. Born in Wake Forest, N.C., and raised in Har...
William Augustus Jones Jr.
William Augustus Jones Jr. 0000000021740789 William A. Jones Jr. (1934-2006) was a distinguished African-American minister and civil rights leader. An alumnus of the University of Kentucky and Crozer...
Brandy
Brandy 0000000114622220 Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and actress—the ultimate triple threat. She rose to fame as the star of the l...
Scott Haskins
Scott Haskins NONE Born on February 21, 1962, in Sandusky, Ohio, sports fanatic Scott Denton Haskins discovered his passion for writing in the sixth grade. Scott pursued a degree in Mass Media Arts a...
Ai Ogawa
Ai Ogawa 0000000368573553 Ai Ogawa (1947-2010), born Florence Anthony, was a prominent poet and author awarded with the American Book Award and a National Book Award. She authored seven books of poet...
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...
Stephen L. Carter
Stephen L. Carter 0000000114553253 Stephen L. Carter, a distinguished Yale Law professor with 30 years of experience, is an acclaimed author of seven nonfiction works and three bestselling novels. Bo...
Earvin Magic Johnson
Earvin Magic Johnson 0000000368581203 Earvin “Magic” Johnson is a former NBA player born in Lansing, Michigan. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers, earning multiple championships and MVP awards. Aft...
Victoria Christopher Murray
Victoria Christopher Murray 0000000040017326 Victoria Christopher Murray, a Queens native, turned from a successful corporate career to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. She self-published her...
Dawoud Bey
Dawoud Bey 0000000078367946 Dawoud Bey, born in 1953, is an acclaimed international photographer whose work has been exhibited at prestigious museums. He's also an author and a distinguished professo...
Dan Jakana
Dan Jakana NONE Dan Jakana was born on July 4, 1955, in Kampala, Uganda, where he attended both elementary and high school. In 1973, he enrolled in the University of Texas at El Paso College of Busi...
Marlon B. Ross
Marlon B. Ross 0000000081773531 Marlon B. Ross is a Professor of English at the University of Virginia, specializing in African American, gender and sexuality studies, and romanticism. He holds a Ph....
Esau McCaulley
Esau McCaulley 000000047234438X Esau McCaulley, PhD, is an esteemed author and New Testament professor at Wheaton College. Known for his award-winning book 'Reading While Black', he also contributes ...
Gillian Royes
Gillian Royes NONE Gillian Royes, creator of the Shad detective series set in Jamaica, is also the author of nonfiction books. Born in Jamaica, she earned her doctorate from Emory University and now ...
Chris L. Terry
Chris L. Terry NONE Chris L. Terry was born in 1979 to an African American father and an Irish American mother. He has an MA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and a creative writing M...
Richard Wesley
Richard Wesley 0000000078408226 Richard Wesley, born in 1945, is a celebrated playwright, screenwriter, and associate professor of Playwriting and Screenwriting. He graduated from Howard University i...
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...
Carolyn Holland
Carolyn Holland NONE Carolyn Holland, a bibliophile and historical romance enthusiast, is dedicated to diversifying the genre by writing books for and about people of color. Inspired by LA Banks and ...
Rudolph Lewis
Rudolph Lewis NONE Rudolph Lewis is an author and the Editor and Founder of ChickenBones: A Journal one of the webs most importsant and oldest websites Rudolph Lewis (born 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland...
Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith
Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith MULTIPLE Randy Roberts is distinguished professor of history at Purdue University. An award-winning author, he focuses on the intersection of popular and political cul...
Terence Lester
Terence Lester NONE Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls, is known for his global poverty awareness campaigns and books. He's been featured on major platforms like The Today Show and named a ...
Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson 0000000000042498 Charles Richard Johnson, a novelist, essayist, and cartoonist from Evanston, Illinois, is renowned for his balanced mix of philosophy and folklore. His novel, Middle ...
Eloise Greenfield
Eloise Greenfield 000000006319793X Eloise Greenfield, renowned for her rhythmic style, positively portrayed the black experience in her award-winning children's literature. With works like The Friend...
Will Packer
Will Packer 000000011946820X TEN #1 Movies. A BILLION in box office. Will Packer is one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers, with films like Girls Trip, Night School, and Ride Along collectivel...
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...
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...
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...
Piri Thomas
Piri Thomas 0000000362962312 Piri Thomas, born in 1928 to Puerto Rican and Cuban parents, overcame racial discrimination and a troubled past in New York to become an influential figure in the Nuyoric...
Lorene Cary
Lorene Cary 0000000080840763 Lorene Cary was graduated from St. Paul’s School in 1974 and received B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. She won a Thouron Fe...
James Lawson Jr.
James Lawson Jr. NONE Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on September 22, 1928, and educated at Baldwin-Wallace College and Boston University, Reverend James Morris Lawson Jr.’s life was spent confront...
Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara 0000000109098487 “There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women.” Thomas Sankara, born in 1949, was a central figure in Burkina Faso's democratic revolu...
Muriel Feelings
Muriel Feelings 0000000042175168 Muriel Feelings, born in Pennsylvania, was an educator and author. She taught in East Africa and Brooklyn and collaborated with her illustrator husband, Tom Feelings,...
Harold G. Marcus
Harold G. Marcus NONE Harold G. Marcus was a notable professor of History and African Studies at Michigan State University. He is renowned for his works on Ethiopian history and politics, including '...
May Miller
May Miller 0000000066423568 May Miller was born on January 26, 1899, in Washington, D.C. Her father, Kelly Miller, was a well-known scholar, professor, and sociologist at Howard University, and thei...
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson NONE Albert “Prodigy” Johnson was a globally recognized rapper, part of the duo Mobb Deep. Known for his reality-based music, he sold millions of albums worldwide. Prodigy al...
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...
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...
Elliot Fratkin
Elliot Fratkin 0000000108584950 Elliot Fratkin, Professor Emeritus of African Studies & Anthropology at Smith College, is renowned for his extensive research on Samburu and Maa-speaking pastoralists ...
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...
Hortense J. Spillers
Hortense J. Spillers 0000000037085221 Hortense J. Spillers, a distinguished professor at Cornell University, is a renowned literary critic. Her work over the past two decades has significantly contri...
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...
Julius Evola
Julius Evola 0000000118562907 Baron Julius Evola (1898–1974), born into an aristocratic Sicilian family, was a scholar, philosopher, writer, social thinker, a leader among 20th-century Hermeti...
George Ford
George Ford 0000000100607572 George Ford, a prolific children's book illustrator, has contributed to over 30 books. He is a Coretta Scott King Award recipient for his work on 'Ray Charles' and 'The S...
Andrea Hairston
Andrea Hairston 000000004096098X Andrea Hairston, an Afrofuturist novelist and playwright, is also the L. Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor Emerita at Smith College. With award-winning novels like 'Redwood a...
Elizabeth Alexander
Elizabeth Alexander 0000000114909360 Elizabeth Alexander, a renowned poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher, has authored multiple books, including 'American Sublime', a Pulitzer finalist. A scholar...
William Jelani Cobb
William Jelani Cobb 0000000034332610 William Jelani Cobb, Ph.D., is an accomplished author, educator, and journalist specializing in post-Civil War African American history and 20th-century American ...
Bernardine Evaristo
Bernardine Evaristo 0000000110769989 Bernardine Evaristo is a British award-winning author of seven books and professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London. Known for her diverse works ac...
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...
Natalie Hopkinson
Natalie Hopkinson NONE Natalie Hopkinson, Ph.D., is a celebrated journalist, scholar, and author known for her insightful exploration of arts, gender, place, and identity. She has received critical a...
Neville Dawes
Neville Dawes 0000000434837562 Neville Augustus Dawes (1926-1984), born in Nigeria to Jamaican parents, was a writer and educator. Raised in Jamaica, he studied at Oxford University, taught in Jamaic...
Michael A. Gonzales
Michael A. Gonzales NONE Harlem-born essayist and short story writer Michael A. Gonzales, co-authored the seminal hip-hop book Bring the Noise. Known as the “hip-hop Chester Himes,†his fiction a...
Andre Hardy
Andre Hardy NONE Andre Hardy is an author, educator, business leader, and former NFL running back whose work reflects a lifelong commitment to reinvention and resilience. A two-time Hall of Fame ind...
Lynda Jones Mubarak
Lynda Jones Mubarak NONE Dr. Lynda Jones Mubarak, a native Texan and passionate educator, has dedicated her life to teaching and writing. Known for her works that promote personal growth, she's also ...
Gloria Naylor
Gloria Naylor 0000000117658077 Gloria Naylor, a prize-winning author, known for her novels like 'The Women of Brewster Place', 'Linden Hills', and 'Mama Day', also wrote essays, screenplays, and stag...
Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann MULTIPLE Zetta Elliott, a black feminist writer known for poetry, plays, essays, novels, and kids' stories, is renowned for her award-winning picture book, Bird....
Bridgett M. Davis
Bridgett M. Davis NONE Bridgett M. Davis is a Detroit-born author, professor, and filmmaker. A graduate of Spelman College and Columbia University, she now teaches English at Baruch College. Her film...
Trey Ellis
Trey Ellis 000000011675397X Trey Ellis is a multi-talented writer, novelist, screenwriter, playwright, essayist, and Associate Professor at Columbia University. He's known for his Emmy-nominated HBO ...
Fred Beauford
Fred Beauford NONE Fred Beauford is a prolific novelist, essayist, and editor, known for his eight novels, memoir, essay collections, and contributions to notable literary series. He's also the found...
Anna Christian
Anna Christian NONE Anna Christian is an accomplished author of seven books, including 'Then Sings My Soul' and 'Daniel’s Wife'. She has made contributions to the African American National Biography ...
Margaret Cezair-Thompson
Margaret Cezair-Thompson 0000000444583770 Margaret Cezair-Thompson, a Jamaican-born author and professor, is known for her novels “The True History of Paradise” and “The Pirate’s Daughter” which won ...
Emily Raboteau
Emily Raboteau 0000000036573661 Emily Raboteau, author of 'The Professor’s Daughter' and 'Searching for Zion,' is an award-winning writer renowned for her fiction and essays. She has received numerou...
Hanif Abdurraqib
Hanif Abdurraqib 0000000476031401 Hanif Abdurraqib is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and critic from Ohio. Known for his poetry in various journals and music criticism in high-profile publications, his...
Monique Fields
Monique Fields NONE Monique Fields is an award-winning journalist and author, known for her essays on race and identity. She founded Honeysmoke.com, a resource for parents with multiracial children. ...
S. Pearl Sharp
S. Pearl Sharp 0000000036855052 S. Pearl Sharp is a writer, actress, filmmaker and broadcast journalist. An advocate of holistic healing, S. Pearl conducts workshops that merge art and healing, and c...