AALBC Search
Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman 0000000036920264 Toni Blackman, an international champion of hip-hop culture, is known for her captivating performances and powerful presence. She's the first hip-hop artist to work as ...
Irene Luxbacher
Irene Luxbacher 0000000078506870 Irene Luxbacher is a renowned Canadian artist, author, and children's book illustrator. With degrees in Art History and Fine Art, she has gained acclaim through her a...
International Human Rights Association of American Minorities
International Human Rights Association of American Minorities NONE IHRAAM, an international NGO with UN consultative status, facilitates the access of individuals and unrepresented groups to human ri...
Paul Von Blum
Paul Von Blum NONE Paul Von Blum is a Senior Lecturer at UCLA with a rich history in African American Studies and Communication Studies. Since 1968, he has taught at UC Berkeley and UCLA. An esteemed...
Donna M. Gray-Banks
Donna M. Gray-Banks NONE Donna M. Gray-Banks, founder of F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival, is a successful author known for her suspense erotic trilogy and a guest columnist for various outlets. She hosts tw...
Vashti Harrison
Vashti Harrison 0000000476987403 Vashti Harrison, born in 1988, is a Virginia-based author, illustrator, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She has degrees in Media Studies, Studio Art, F...
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...
Yvonne Bynoe
Yvonne Bynoe NONE Yvonne Bynoe is an acclaimed author, cultural critic, and founder of the popular online art platform, @SHELOVESBLACKART. She made her curatorial debut in 2022, focusing on lost or e...
Regie Gibson
Regie Gibson NONE Regie Gibson is a poet, songwriter, author, workshop facilitator, and educator. Regie has performed, taught, and lectured at schools, universities, theaters and various other ve...
Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys
Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys MULTIPLE Grammy-winning icons Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys are not only musical powerhouses but also philanthropists and art advocates. Founders of the Dean Collection, the...
Jael Richardson
Jael Richardson NONE Jael Ealey Richardson is a Toronto-based author and educator with an MFA in Creative Writing. Known for her memoir and children's book, both titled The Stone Thrower, her work re...
LaKesa Cox
LaKesa Cox NONE LaKesa Cox is an award-winning author and screenwriter with over 20 years of experience. She has published four novels and has contributed to two anthologies. She was acknowledged as ...
Warsan Shire
Warsan Shire 0000000401939810 Warsan Shire, a Somali British writer and poet, is renowned for her chapbooks, and for winning the inaugural Brunel International African Poetry Prize. She was London's ...
Carrolyn Pichet
Carrolyn Pichet NONE Carrolyn Pichet is a Washington native with a diverse career spanning from the Parole Board to the FBI. She holds degrees from Howard University and the University of Maryland an...
Zuksiwa Wanner
Zuksiwa Wanner NONE Zukiswa Wanner, born to South African and Zimbabwean parents in Zambia, is a celebrated author known for award-nominated novels like “Men of the South.” As an essayist, she focuse...
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...
Greenwood Art Project
Greenwood Art Project NONE The Greenwood Art Project, an initiative of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre Centennial Commission, aims to unite Tulsa through art, raising awareness of Greenwood's history and the...
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...
Anika Malone
Anika Malone NONE Anika Malone, author of the acclaimed “10 Minutes Past Too Late”, is celebrated as a fresh voice in contemporary fiction. She has participated in notable book events across the Unit...
Biyi Bandele
Biyi Bandele 0000000120964833 Biyi Bandele-Thomas (1967-2022) was a renowned Nigerian novelist, playwright, director, and photographer. He was celebrated as one of Africa's top 50 artists. Bandele's ...
Irenosen Okojie
Irenosen Okojie 0000000493628445 Irenosen Okojie is a London-based writer and curator, known for her work with prominent arts organizations and her international publications. Her writing has been fe...
Keith Mallett
Keith Mallett 0000000033964456 Keith Duncan Mallett, born in 1948, is a prominent artist trained in New York City. He spent 15 years as the in-house artist for Frontline Art Publishers and now works ...
Grace Aneiza Ali
Grace Aneiza Ali NONE Grace Aneiza Ali is a Curator, Assistant Professor, and Provost Fellow at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She specializes in socially engaged art, global contemporary art, and C...
Halima Taha
Halima Taha NONE Halima Taha is a renowned advocate for African and African-American art, known for her educational initiatives and influential writings. Her contributions have spearheaded recognitio...
Louis Edwards
Louis Edwards 0000000028382400 Louis Edwards, a Guggenheim Fellowship and Whiting Award-winning author, has written four novels including Ramadan Ramsey and Ten Seconds. Louisiana-born Edwards is als...
J. A. Rogers
J. A. Rogers NONE Joel Augustus Rogers was a self-taught Jamaican author, journalist, and historian who greatly contributed to African and African American history. His work challenged racial ideas, ...
Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin 0000000041835603 Lola Shoneyin is a renowned Nigerian poet and author, best known for her debut novel, “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.” Identified as a promising African writer ...
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay 000000035624500X Ava DuVernay is an award-winning writer, producer, and director in independent film. She founded DVA Media + Marketing and the African-American Film Festival Releasing M...
Rose Brock
Rose Brock 0000000107888362 Rose Brock, a professor at Sam Houston State University, is renowned for inspiring youth to love books. In addition to her career as a librarian and educator, she co-found...
Darlene Williams
Darlene Williams NONE Darlene Williams is an award-winning businesswoman, adjunct lecturer, bestselling author, and nationally recognized youth and literacy advocate. She serves as President of the ...
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...
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...
Tamiya Davis
Tamiya Davis NONE Tamiya Davis, a Virginia native, is a longshoreman, fashion entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. Her achievements include running a rights restoration chapter, owning a f...
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...
Glodean Champion
Glodean Champion NONE Glodean Champion is a multifaceted artist, educator, and coach based in Monterey, CA. She is a published author, whose work explores themes of sexuality, gender, and African Ame...
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...
David Washington
David Washington NONE Dr. David Washington decision to write a graphic novel stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the lack of diversity in the superhero genre. He hoped to provide his children with ...
Patricia A. Saunders
Patricia A. Saunders NONE Patricia A. Saunders, an author from Connecticut, now based in San Francisco, began her writing journey after her mother's passing. She released her first book in 2012 and i...
Jayne Cortez
Jayne Cortez 0000000080983190 Jayne Cortez (1936-2012) was a celebrated poet and performance artist, known for her political and surrealistic lyricism. She authored eleven books of poetry and present...
E. B. Lewis
E. B. Lewis 0000000367331472 E.B. Lewis, an award-winning illustrator, has worked on over 70 children's books. Inspired by his uncles, he developed his artistic skills from a young age and later spec...
Benny Andrews
Benny Andrews 0000000066753102 Benny Andrews (1930-2006) was an American painter, printmaker, and educator known for his expressionist style. Born and raised in Georgia, he was the first in his famil...
Philemona Williamson
Philemona Williamson NONE Philemona Williamson, a renowned contemporary artist based in New Jersey, is known for her solo shows and group exhibitions. Her work, often exploring interpersonal relation...
Kimberly Drew
Kimberly Drew 0000000495858893 Kimberly Drew is a passionate writer, curator, and activist with a focus on art, fashion, and cultural studies. She's the Social Media Manager at The Met, a board membe...
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...
Jenin Mohammed
Jenin Mohammed NONE Jenin Mohammed, a talented illustrator from Florida, is renowned for her humorous and captivating art. Winner of the 2020 Summer Spectacular Illustration Grand Prize, her unique s...
Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl
Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl NONE Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl, born in the USA to Ugandan parents, is a technical writer and editor for international organizations like the UN and the World Bank. With degre...
Teju Cole
Teju Cole 0000000077460567 Teju Cole, an acclaimed writer, art historian, and photographer, serves as the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Bard College and is a photography critic for the New Yor...
RAWSISTAZ
RAWSISTAZ NONE The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers were a group of 13 women, including founder Tee C. Royal, who promoted books by and about African Americans. These avid readers, reviewers and members of the Re...
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 ...
Claudia Tomlinson
Claudia Tomlinson NONE Claudia Tomlinson is a writer and researcher on Guyanese, Caribbean, African, and Black British History and Politics. She has a Ph.D. in History and is an Associate Fellow of t...
Brittany N. Williams
Brittany N. Williams NONE Brittany N. Williams is an award-nominated actress and the award-nominated author of the YA historical fantasy trilogy The Forge & Fracture Saga. She holds a BFA in Musical ...
Colin Channer
Colin Channer 0000000066632589 Colin Channer, born in Jamaica, is a celebrated author and editor known for his poetry collection 'Providential' and bestselling novel 'Waiting in Vain'. He's also the ...
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor 0000000049060048 Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is a renowned Kenyan writer, recognized for her contribution to literature and arts in Kenya. She won the 2003 Caine Prize for her story “...
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...
Nikki Marsh
Nikki Marsh NONE Florida-based author Nikki Marsh, a former educator and counselor, writes young adult historical fiction. She loves jewelry making, antiquing, and exploring international art and cul...
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...
Shauntay Grant
Shauntay Grant 0000000082860020 Shauntay Grant is a Halifax-based writer and performance artist. She's written multiple children's books, including award-winning 'Up Home' and 'Africville'. Grant als...
Shane W. Evans
Shane W. Evans 0000000038504360 Shane Evans is a renowned illustrator, artist and designer whose work has been recognized by The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and The Orbis Pictus Award. His illustrat...
Victoria Adukwei Bulley
Victoria Adukwei Bulley 0000000474165676 Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a celebrated poet, writer, and artist, recognized for her exceptional poetry with an Eric Gregory Award. She's an alumna of the Bar...
Monique Clesca
Monique Clesca 0000000045216260 Monique Clesca has led two incredibly fulfilling lives. First, as an activist, she worked in the field of international development, advocating for children and women...
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...
Christine List
Christine List NONE Christine List, Ph.D. from Northwestern University, is an award-winning filmmaker recognized globally. She has received numerous grants, served as a media grant evaluator and juri...
Stacy Spikes
Stacy Spikes NONE Stacy Spikes, co-founder of MoviePass and founder of Urbanworld Film Festival, is an award-winning entrepreneur and former film marketing executive. Recognized as one of the most in...
Brett T. Brown
Brett T. Brown NONE Brett Tyler Brown, born in 1997, is a talented self-taught artist inspired by Chicago's architecture. His passion for art extends to architecture, animation, and writing. He wrote...
Markia Jenai
Markia Jenai NONE Markia Jenai, a Michigan-born illustrator and graduate of Kendall College of Art and Design, is known for her diverse and culturally inspired children's books. She's currently pursu...
Nicole R. Fleetwood
Nicole R. Fleetwood 0000000077155263 Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood, a renowned writer, curator, and professor at Rutgers University, is recognized for her influential work on art and mass incarceration. Sh...
Kah Yangni
Kah Yangni NONE Kah Yangni, a Philadelphia-based illustrator, creates art focusing on justice, queerness, and joy. With work featured by The New York Times, Vice Media, and in the Philadelphia Museum...
Donna Drew Sawyer
Donna Drew Sawyer NONE Donna Drew Sawyer, author of Provenance, has a rich background in arts administration, advertising, and public relations. A New Yorker with over three decades of experience in ...
January Gill O’Neil
January Gill O’Neil NONE January Gill O’Neil, author of Rewilding, Misery Islands, and Underlife, is a former executive director of Massachusetts Poetry Festival and ex-Grisham Writer-in-Residence. C...
Kevin Coval
Kevin Coval 0000000053723529 Kevin Coval, author of ALA “Book of the Year†finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, is the Artistic Director of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival...
Patricia Spears Jones
Patricia Spears Jones 0000000031494569 Patricia Spears Jones, born in Arkansas, is the 2024 New York State Poet Laureate, a Jackson Poetry Prize laureate, and a cultural activist. An esteemed poet, p...
Kellie Magnus
Kellie Magnus 0000000114740104 Kellie Magnus is a Jamaican children's author and media writer. An alumna of Harvard and Columbia Universities, she's the Chair of the Kingston Book Festival and serves...
Esther Phillips
Esther Phillips 0000000073657506 Esther Phillips, founder of The Bim Literary Festival & Book Fair and editor of Bim magazine, is a highly decorated poet with an MFA in Creative Writing. She's won pr...
Alberto O. Cappas
Alberto O. Cappas NONE Alberto O. Cappas, a Puerto Rican-born poet, writer, and community activist, is known for his work in economic development, literature, and advocacy in New York and Buffalo. He...
Cheryl Clarke
Cheryl Clarke 0000000383377198 Cheryl L. Clarke, born in 1947, is a lesbian poet, essayist, and a Black feminist activist. Her work emphasizes African-American women's literature and black lesbian fe...
Colette Bancroft
Colette Bancroft NONE Colette Bancroft is the book editor for the Tampa Bay Times since 2007, directs the annual Festival of Reading, and served on the National Book Critics Circle board. She holds E...
Thando Mgqolozana
Thando Mgqolozana 0000000071220474 Thando Mgqolozana, born in 1983, is a renowned South African novelist and Mandela Rhodes Scholar. He authored novels like 'Hear Me Alone' and 'Unimportance' and co-...
Melica Niccole
Melica Niccole NONE Melica Niccole, a Columbus-native author, poet, and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, has a passion for writing which she uses to explore various subjects. She created an annua...
justin a. reynolds
justin a. reynolds NONE Justin A. Reynolds is an acclaimed author renowned for his debut YA novel, “Opposite of Always,” and second novel “Early Departures.” His work includes a Marvel graphic novel ...
Baba Wagué Diakité
Baba Wagué Diakité 0000000121436557 Baba Wagué Diakité, a Mali-born artist, found his roots in drawing before discovering claywork when he moved to the US. He has had numerous solo and group exhibi...
Dorothea Smartt
Dorothea Smartt 0000000035456594 Dorothea Smartt is a London-born poet with Barbadian roots, known for her significant contributions to British culture. As a former Live Artist at London's Institute ...
Danica Novgorodoff
Danica Novgorodoff 0000000115661248 Danica Novgorodoff is an award-winning artist, writer, and graphic novelist based in Louisville, KY. Her accolades include the 2022 Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal and a...
Cerece Rennie Murphy
Cerece Rennie Murphy NONE Cerece Rennie Murphy, a science fiction enthusiast since age seven, has a rich background in social work and international relations. She transitioned into creative writing ...
Rosemari Mealy
Rosemari Mealy NONE Rosemari Mealy, J.D., Ph.D., is a renowned professor at CUNY, recognized for her community involvement and international human rights activism. She has worked in Cuba, supporting ...
Kamau Brathwaite
Kamau Brathwaite 0000000109373020 Edward Kamau Brathwaite, born in Barbados (1930-2020), was a key voice in Caribbean literature, a professor at NYU, and co-founder of the Caribbean Artists Movement....
Clarence Lusane
Clarence Lusane 0000000109374330 Dr. Clarence Lusane, a respected scholar and activist, specializes in human rights, global race relations, U.S. politics, and international relations. Born in Detroit...
Natasha Moulton-Levy
Natasha Moulton-Levy NONE Natasha Moulton-Levy, a mother and problem-solver, instills a global perspective in her children, helping them become successful global citizens. An alumna of the College of...
William W. Sales Jr.
William W. Sales Jr. NONE William W. Sales, Jr., an Associate Professor at Seton Hall University, is an acknowledged expert on Malcolm X, authoring two books and numerous articles on the subject. A v...
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....
Lewis R. Gordon
Lewis R. Gordon 000000010879961X Lewis R. Gordon is an Afro-Jewish philosopher, musician, and public intellectual, known for his work on social justice and human relationships to reality. An award-wi...
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...
Michael Datcher
Michael Datcher 0000000041395804 Michael Datcher is an award-winning poet, critic, and journalist. He co-hosts a weekly news magazine on 90.7 FM KPFK and his writing is widely anthologized. He's pres...
Tracie Morris
Tracie Morris 0000000031997991 Born in Brooklyn, interdisciplinary poet and sound artist Tracie Morris earned an MFA at Hunter College and a PhD at New York University. She studied acting at the Roy...
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...
Sharon M. Draper
Sharon M. Draper 0000000374578086 Sharon M. Draper, acclaimed author of the Sassy series and numerous teen novels, is a New York Times bestseller and multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner. A forme...