AALBC Search
Bessie Head and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Bessie Head and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o MULTIPLE "Bessie Head and NgÅ©gÄ© wa Thiong'o are renowned African authors. Head, from Botswana, explores themes of racial tension and identity, while Thiong'o, a Ke...
Bessie Head
Bessie Head 0000000108556853 Bessie Head (1937-1986), born in South Africa but renowned as one of Botswana's most influential writers, produced novels, short fiction, and autobiographical works. Her ...
Cheryl A. Head
Cheryl A. Head NONE Cheryl A. Head (she/her) is the author of the award-winning Charlie Mack Motown mysteries. Head is an Anthony Award nominee, a two-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, a three-ti...
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt 0000000120374593 Usain Bolt, born August 21, 1986, is recognized as the fastest person ever timed. He holds world records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, won six Olympic gold medals, ...
Brittney Morris
Brittney Morris NONE Brittney Morris, author of 'Slay', is the founder of Boston University Creative Writing Club with a BA in Economics. She enjoys video games and the Seattle rain, living with her ...
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...
Nneka Myers
Nneka Myers NONE Nneka Myers is a Toronto-based illustrator serving publishers and the animation industry. Passionate about drawing, she finds inspiration in vintage fashion and enjoys tea gatherings...
Jamar Nicholas
Jamar Nicholas 0000000043493811 Jamar Nicholas, born March 18, 1973, is an award-winning Philadelphia artist and educator committed to promoting anti-bullying and kindness through cartooning. He enjo...
Chloe Dominique
Chloe Dominique NONE Chloe Dominique is a freelance illustrator and concept artist based in the UK, working across animation, video games, and children's publishing. Chloe Dominique is a freelance il...
Tanisha Cherislin
Tanisha Cherislin NONE Tanisha Cherislin is a New York-based artist. Some of her clients include Random House; Little, Brown and Company; and Macmillan. In addition to children’s books, Tanisha make...
Kyra D. Gaunt
Kyra D. Gaunt 0000000061596283 Kyra D. Gaunt is a college professor, jazz vocalist, author, and songwriter specializing in race, gender, and African American music. With a career in education startin...
James Stewart
James Stewart 0000000121039797 Dr. James Stewart, a native of Cleveland & Professor Emeritus at Penn State University, is the President of ASALH’s Manasota Chapter. He held leadership roles in major ...
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Ibtihaj Muhammad 0000000495666162 Ibtihaj Muhammad is a groundbreaking Olympic fencer, the first Muslim American woman in hijab to compete for the US, and to win an Olympic medal. She's also an activ...
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Azikiwe 0000000082108154 Nnamdi Azikiwe, a Washington DC-born author and University of the District of Columbia graduate, is known for his works on Black consciousness. He founded the Mhotep C...
Laney Baines
Laney Baines NONE Laney Baines, born in 1998, is a Brooklyn native with a passion for reading, music, and video games. She aspires to start a magazine and is currently studying Professional Writing. ...
Keith Ross
Keith Ross 000000010921496X Keith Ross, a 4th grader from Tulsa, Oklahoma, enjoys video games, road trips, and performing arts. Known for his unique style, Keith has co-authored several books, includ...
Steffi Walthall
Steffi Walthall NONE Steffi Walthall is a Virginia-based illustrator inspired by mythology, history, and sci-fi. Known for her diverse characters and unique stories, she's illustrated books like 'Mov...
Siku
Siku 0000000065618187 Siku is a multifaceted British artist, author, theologian, and musician, renowned for his comic book/concept art. He has worked with 2000AD, Marvel UK, and COM X, producing nota...
Joshua Clark Davis
Joshua Clark Davis NONE Joshua Clark Davis is a history professor at the University of Baltimore, specializing in 20th-century American history, capitalism, and social movements. He's also a public a...
Ty Allan Jackson
Ty Allan Jackson NONE Ty Allan Jackson is a celebrated author and publisher, renowned for his children's book 'Danny Dollar Millionaire: The Lemonade Escapade.' Inspired by his son's curiosity about ...
Ash Cash
Ash Cash NONE Ash Exantus, also known as Ash Cash, is a renowned banking executive, personal finance expert, and author of six books, three of which are Amazon.com bestsellers. He serves as a head of...
Aliya King Neil
Aliya King Neil NONE Aliya King Neil is an acclaimed journalist and author for teens and adults, with works featured in notable publications. Her first picture book was “Keep Your Head Up.” Aliya Kin...
Mister Mann Frisby
Mister Mann Frisby NONE Mister Mann Frisby, a South Philadelphia native, is a renowned former entertainment reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is also the founder and head coach of PhatBack...
Aliona L. Gibson
Aliona L. Gibson NONE Aliona L. Gibson is an author and filmmaker with a passion for creativity and service. She published her first book, Nappy, and later the self-published For Black Writers. Inspi...
Arna Bontemps
Arna Bontemps 0000000108744969 Arna Bontemps (1902-1973) was a significant Harlem Renaissance figure and author of 25 diverse books. He served as the head librarian at Fisk University and curator of ...
Steven Savile
Steven Savile 0000000109018192 Steven Savile is an acclaimed British author, known for writing popular game and comic series including Doctor Who, Torchwood, Stargate, and Battlefield 3. He's also co...
Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy 0000000036530143 Tony Dungy, the first African American coach to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory, has an impressive coaching history with multiple teams. Prior to coach...
Rory Noland
Rory Noland 0000000055829589 Rory Noland is the director of Heart of the Artist Ministries, a worship leader at the Transforming Center, and the Head of Worship at Nebraska Christian College. He ment...
Guy Sims
Guy Sims NONE Guy A. Sims is an acclaimed author known for his early publications on Kwanzaa, his collection of American Tall Tales, and his novel, Living Just A Little. He's also the head writer for...
Ursula M. Burns
Ursula M. Burns 0000000445332455 Ursula M. Burns is a pioneering American businesswoman, the first black woman to become a Fortune 500 CEO at Xerox, where she served from 2009-2016. She was also Chai...
Onyi Nwabineli
Onyi Nwabineli NONE Onyi Nwabineli, a Nigerian British author and social activist, is the co-founder of Surviving Out Loud and founder of Black Pens. Her multicultural upbringing and passion for head...
Doug Melville
Doug Melville NONE Doug Melville is a renowned figure in diversity, equity, and inclusion with vast experience, including being the global head of diversity at Richemont. He's advised top brands on i...
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson 0000000081589734 Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the first African American Head of the Hayden Planetarium, is a renowned astrophysicist, and author of ten books. He's a faculty member a...
Olujimi Ojikutu
Olujimi Ojikutu NONE Olujimi Ojikutu, a University of Lagos graduate, began his career in finance but followed his passion for art and storytelling. He's known for creating comics in his youth, writi...
R.L. Byrd
R.L. Byrd NONE R.L. Byrd, born in Brunswick, Georgia, was raised by his grandparents and developed an “old soul” from their stories, shaping his writing style. Pursuing interests in Architecture and ...
Marcus Kareem
Marcus Kareem NONE Marcus Kareem was born in Hip-Hop, and raised in Teaneck, NJ. He learned to write and music at early age, sitting on the floor sometimes of the record shop with a pencil and pad. ...
Mudpuppy
Mudpuppy NONE Mudpuppy creates toys, puzzles, and games that delight kids with color, design, and ideas about the world, sparking imagination and creating experiences that engage the whole family.
Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers 0000000108718912 Walter Dean Myers, born August 12, 1937, was an award-winning author from Harlem, known for his dedication to children and young adult literature. He received numer...
Angela Nissel
Angela Nissel NONE Angela Nissel is author of the national bestselling comedic memoirs The Broke Diaries and Mixed, and a prolific television producer and writer whose credits include The Other Blac...
Jessica Lewis
Jessica Lewis NONE Jessica Lewis is a Black author who writes in many eclectic genres. Her first novel, Bad Witch Burning, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, and she’s written everything from ...
Nicole Glover
Nicole Glover NONE Nicole Glover is a UX researcher and author from Virginia. She is an avid reader, tea-lover, and enjoys bicycling, video gaming, and baking. Her debut novel is 'The Conductors'. Ni...
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...
Gabrielle Douglas
Gabrielle Douglas NONE Gabrielle Douglas, born 1995, is a celebrated gymnast known for her historic achievements at the 2012 London Olympics. She's the first African-American and woman of color to wi...
Juwanda G. Ford
Juwanda G. Ford NONE Juwanda G. Ford is the author of picture books and easy readers, including bestsellers. Juwanda G. Ford is the author of picture books and easy readers, including the bestselling...
Angeli R. Rasbury
Angeli R. Rasbury NONE Angeli R. Rasbury is a versatile writer and attorney who has served as an editor for several major publications. She's a co-editor of a notable book, interviewed distinguished ...
Adrienne Thurman
Adrienne Thurman NONE Adrienne Thurman has always had a big love of language and word games, but it wasn’t until she was all grown up that she started playing with words in new ways—snapping them in...
Bonnie J. Glover
Bonnie J. Glover NONE Born in Alabama and raised in Brooklyn, Bonnie J. Glover is a graduate of Florida A&M University and Stetson University College of Law. She has worked for the Housing Authority ...
Ekua Holmes
Ekua Holmes 0000000451226536 Ekua Holmes is a painter and collage artist who uses various materials to create vibrant, abstract works that convey unity and evoke universal memories. Her ongoing serie...
Deborrah Cooper
Deborrah Cooper NONE Deborrah Cooper, pen name “Ms. HeartBeat”, is an established authority on dating and relationships since 1993. She founded AskHeartBeat!, a pioneer website focused on Black and i...
George Clinton
George Clinton 000000011473322X Musician George Clinton, born 1941, started his career in a barbershop, forming The Parliaments. He later reconfigured the group into Funkadelic and Parliament, known ...
Naseed Gifted
Naseed Gifted NONE Naseed Gifted, an engineer, educator, and writer from Newark is the Creative Director of PBS Media. Gifted uses his passion for comics to innovate projects that engage all audience...
Cathy Finch White
Cathy Finch White NONE Cathy Finch White, a former medical professional turned author, advocates for child education through reading. She has written four award-winning books, including “Anna Learn's...
Dexter Palmer
Dexter Palmer 0000000040043719 Dexter Clarence Palmer, a Princeton-based author, is known for his acclaimed debut novel, 'The Dream of Perpetual Motion'. His second novel, 'Version Control', was publ...
Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas 0000000486125057 Angie Thomas, a Mississippi-based author, gained fame with her debut novel 'The Hate U Give'. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, the novel was a #1 New York Ti...
Jesse Byrd
Jesse Byrd NONE Jesse Byrd, Jr., an award-winning author and former Google project worker, used his basketball skills to fund his education at UC Santa Barbara. Known for his debut novel, King Pengui...
Method Man and Sanford Greene
Method Man and Sanford Greene MULTIPLE Method Man, a Grammy-winning rapper and actor, is part of the Wu-Tang Clan and resides in New York. Sanford Greene, a renowned comics artist for DC Comics, Imag...
Kelvin Christopher James
Kelvin Christopher James NONE Trinidadian author Kelvin Christopher James, a former high school science teacher and lab technician, holds a Ph.D. in science education. He started writing in 1980, pro...
Farrah Rochon
Farrah Rochon NONE Farrah Rochon, a Louisiana native and award-winning author, launched her writing career at Xavier University. She's known for her Holmes Brothers series, starting with her debut no...
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony 0000000036943407 Carmelo Anthony, ten-time NBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, overcame adversity to excel in basketball and business. Known for his philanthropy, Antho...
Angela Dalton
Angela Dalton NONE Angela Dalton, former video game producer turned award-winning author, is known for her children's books, including 'If You Look Up to the Sky'. Living in Oakland, California, she ...
Bernadette Baillie
Bernadette Baillie NONE Bernadette Baillie, a Filipina American writer and speaker, grew up in a sports-loving family, selling signature athlete shoes. A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked...
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 0000000115018412 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, born Chris Jackson, is a renowned ex-NBA star and current BIG3 league player. Known for his record-breaking performance at LSU and in the NBA, ...
Claribel A. Ortega
Claribel A. Ortega NONE Claribel A. Ortega is a New York Times Bestselling author known for her debut novel Ghost Squad, which won multiple awards and is being made into a film. She co-hosts the Bad ...
Adiba Jaigirdar
Adiba Jaigirdar NONE Adiba Jaigirdar, a bestselling author known for 'The Henna Wars' and 'Hani & Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating', is a Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher. She holds an MA in Postcolon...
Tamara Mayo
Tamara Mayo NONE Tamara Mayo, a Virginia-native author, developed her love for reading at a young age. She moved to California at 19, where she pursued a writing career including ghostwriting and edi...
Joseph Earl Thomas
Joseph Earl Thomas NONE Joseph Earl Thomas is an author known for his unique and poignant storytelling. His first major work, Sink: A Memoir, published in 2022, explores his challenging upbringing i...
Brianna Peppins
Brianna Peppins NONE Brianna Peppins is the author of young adult contemporary novels, including Briarcliff Prep and As Long as We’re Together. She was raised in PG County, Maryland and graduated fro...
DeAndra Davis
DeAndra Davis NONE DeAndra Davis is a neurodivergent, Jamaican-American author who lives in the swampy heat of Florida. Her debut All the Noise at Once follows an autistic main character as messy as...
Ana Latese
Ana Latese NONE Ana Latese, an African American illustrator, has a passion for producing beautiful imagery inspired by vibrant colors, magical elements, and joy. She enjoys using different lighting ...
R.M. Johnson
R.M. Johnson NONE R.M. Johnson, a Chicago-born author and Army veteran, pursued a science degree and worked in healthcare while honing his writing skills. He's penned nine novels, including bestselle...
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth 0000000109884285 One of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time” Sojourner Truth (c. 1797 – November 26, 1883) was an abolitionist and women’s rights a...
Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due 0000000114453527 “The Queen of Black Horror” Tananarive Due, American Book Award-winning author of nine books, holds a B.S. in Journalism and M.A. in English literature. A s...
Terrance Dean
Terrance Dean 000000003396662X Terrance Dean, a former MTV producer, became a philanthropist and “Cardio-Spiritualist” after leaving his jet-set job. He founded Men's Empowerment and co-created “The ...
Lindsey Nyx Walker
Lindsey Nyx Walker Lindsey Nyx Walker is the senior producer and head writer at StarTalk, a popular science podcast and four-time Emmy-nominated television show on the National Geographic Channel. ...
Victor McGlothin
Victor McGlothin NONE Victor McGlothin, a bestselling author and filmmaker from Dallas, overcame early reading struggles to complete a Masters degree and leave his banking career for literature. Know...
Rain Pryor
Rain Pryor 000000004618407X Rain Pryor (born July 16, 1968) was a regular on the hit ABC series Head of the Class, starred in the Showtime series Rude Awakening, and created the award-winning one-wo...
Tlotlo Tsamaase
Tlotlo Tsamaase NONE Tlotlo Tsamaase is a Motswana author of Womb City and The Silence of the Wilting Skin. Her second novel, House of Margins, is forthcoming in Spring 2026, as well as her debut YA...
Donna Oriowo
Donna Oriowo NONE Dr. Donna Oriowo (pronounced “oreo-whoa!”), LICSW, CST, is an award-winning DEI advocate, international speaker, and certified sex and relationship therapist based in the Washingto...
Trice Hickman
Trice Hickman NONE Trice Hickman, a North Carolina native and avid reader, nurtured a lifelong love for books and writing. After years in higher education and various management positions, a lay-off ...
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...
Craig Malcolm Robinson
Craig Malcolm Robinson 0000000078127942 Craig Malcolm Robinson, born in 1962, is a former college basketball coach, executive, and broadcaster. He was a star player at Princeton University and later ...
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'....
Efua Traoré
Efua Traoré 0000000506605710 Efua Traoré is a Nigerian-German author, raised in a small Nigerian town. Known for her imaginative storytelling, she started writing her stories much later in life. Efu...
Sarah Roberts
Sarah Roberts 0000000498649771 Sarah Roberts is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Curator and Head of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).
Andre Seward
Andre Seward NONE Andre Seward, also known as Poetryman7, is a poet who has been writing since 1998. His works are deeply grounded in faith and spirituality, exploring themes of love, grace, and fami...
Dawn Staley
Dawn Staley 0000000455898081 Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970) is the NCAA national championship-winning head coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, a thr...
Rufus and Jenny Triplett
Rufus and Jenny Triplett MULTIPLE Rufus and Jenny Triplett, Ebony Magazine’s Couple of the Year 2012, are a professional husband and wife team thriving in various fields together. With over 25 years ...
Bryan Tucker
Bryan Tucker NONE Bryan Tucker is a stand up comedian and sketch actor, but he's mostly known as a comedy writer. Bryan is currently the senior and former head writer on Saturday Night Live. Most re...
Otto Penzler
Otto Penzler 0000000117770704 Otto Penzler, renowned authority on crime fiction, is the proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop and founder of The Mysterious Press. He's published acclaimed authors, ed...
Kevin Mitchell
Kevin Mitchell 0000000352296686 Kevin M. Mitchell is a versatile writer, musician, and producer. A University of Missouri—Kansas City Conservatory of Music graduate, he has published over a dozen b...
K Kelly McElroy
K Kelly McElroy NONE K Kelly, head of Uptown Media Joint Ventures, helps authors publish and market their stories. He also aids freelance journalists and recording artists in expanding their audience...
Christopher D. Burns
Christopher D. Burns NONE Christopher D. Burns, from Memphis, served in the US Navy as an electrician before becoming a QA analyst and basketball coach. He wrote his first book after an injury halted...
Sandra L. Richards
Sandra L. Richards 0000000084226541 Sandra L. Richards, an American-born daughter of Jamaican immigrants and author of the debut children's book “Rice & Rocks”, aims to educate about cultural diversi...
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela 0000000121447715 Nelson Mandela, born July 18, 1918, was South Africa's first black President from 1994-1999, and ANC party President from 1991-1997. After 27 years in prison, he was r...
Leland Melvin
Leland Melvin NONE Leland Devon Melvin, born in 1964, is a former NFL athlete turned astronaut, scientist, and educator. He flew with the Space Shuttle Atlantis, crafted optical fiber sensors at NASA...
Eric Williams
Eric Williams 0000000108564781 Dr. Eric Eustace Williams was an accomplished scholar and influential political leader in Trinidad and Tobago. Born in 1911, he excelled academically, earning a Doctor ...
Eric Pete
Eric Pete 0000000372515735 Eric Pete, a US Army veteran and graduate of McNeese State University, is a renowned author known for his debut novel “Real for Me.” His collaboration with Carl Weber on “T...
Katherine Shears
Katherine Shears NONE Katherine Shears is a dedicated executive consultant and deep thinker committed to social betterment and personal transformation. A voracious reader, she applies knowledge from ...
Michelle D. Rayford
Michelle D. Rayford NONE Author Michelle D. Rayford, winner of a fifth-grade literacy contest, nurtured her passion for writing through years of education, a government job, marriage, and motherhood....
Frankie Lennon
Frankie Lennon NONE Frankie Lennon is a creative writer, teacher, and jewelry designer from Knoxville, Tennessee. She holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Creative Writing from Indiana University. ...