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Found 72 matching records for “Leonard Pitts, Jr. Author of BEFORE I FORGET”.

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The Water Dancer

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Water Dancer Ta-Nehisi Coates Excerpt And I could only have seen her there on the stone bridge, a dancer wreathed in ghostly blue, because that was the way they would have taken her back when I w...

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The Immortality Of Influence

by Salome Thomas-El

The Immortality Of Influence Salome Thomas-El Excerpt Foreword by Will Smith If you finish this book and are not inspired to immediately go out and effect change in your community, then you w...

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Like Sweet Buttermilk

by S.F. Powell

Like Sweet Buttermilk S.F. Powell Excerpt …Viv entered their sitting room, where she lay down to think, pulling the afghan strewn across the loveseat around her. More thinking, however, didn...

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Not All Dogs

by C. Kelly Robinson

Not All Dogs C. Kelly Robinson Excerpt Prologue Chapter One: Choirboy Chapter Two: Smooth Operator Chapter Three: Sinister Minister Chapter Four: Bootstrapper Prologue (top) Sheryl Gibs...

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The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother

by James McBride

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother James McBride Excerpt CHAPTER ONE Dead I’m dead. You want to talk about my family and here I been dead to them for fifty y...

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Black Wings & Blind Angels: Poems

by Professor Griff

Black Wings & Blind Angels: Poems Professor Griff Excerpt Breaking Karma #5 i It is like a scene in a play. His bald spot shines upward between dark tufts of hair. We are sitting in a pool of...

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The Truth About Men: The Secret Side Of The Opposite Sex

by Ian Smith

The Truth About Men: The Secret Side Of The Opposite Sex Ian Smith Excerpt THE FIRST PRINCIPLETHE SUBTLE ART OF HOOKING US There’s a big misperception that men never want to be in commit...

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Night Hawks: Stories

by Charles Johnson

Night Hawks: Stories Charles Johnson Excerpt The Weave Three thieves battered through a wall, crawled close to the floor to dodge motion detectors and stole six duffel bags filled with human hair ...

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A Long Way from Home

by Connie Briscoe

A Long Way from Home Connie Briscoe Excerpt     Chapter One Clara sat up on the edge of her pallet and rubbed her eyes with her fists. She could tell it was awfully late by the wa...

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Chapter One

by Catherine Joy White

Chapter One Catherine Joy White Excerpt Silence This thread of gold that ties me to my mother, my grandmother, and the women who came before looks a lot like the color purple. Like the purple hibi...

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A Lesson Before Dying

by Ernest J. Gaines

A Lesson Before Dying Ernest J. Gaines Excerpt I was not there, yet I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not hear the verdict, because I knew all the time what it would be. Still,...

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After

by Marita Golden

After Marita Golden Excerpt The bullets discharge from the muzzle of officer Carson Blake’s sixteen round Beretta with the tinny explosive popping sound of a toy gun. He will not remember exact...

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Journey To Justice

by Johnnie Cochran

Journey To Justice Johnnie Cochran Excerpt WHY I WANTED TO BE A LAWYER I have often been asked why I wanted to be a lawyer. One of the most important things that happened to me during ...

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Cayenne

by Janice Pernell

Cayenne Janice Pernell Excerpt Nia eyed Michael with a mixture of defiance and loathing. The man who’d captured her heart in the past three months was now her captor, in a very literal but surr...

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One Blood

by Denene Millner

One Blood Denene Millner Excerpt 1 The blood never much bothered Grace. Maw Maw Rubelle got her used to it early on, when she was little ol’, way before she let her only granddaughter, her a...

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The Payback

by Kashana Cauley

The Payback Kashana Cauley Excerpt Chapter One In the handful of minutes before our store opened, the sales day was pregnant with potential cash. Soon my boss Richard would open our front door, th...

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Table of Contents <em>Black Power, Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for Justice</em>

by Nkechi Taifa

Table of Contents Black Power, Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for Justice Nkechi Taifa Excerpt Table of Contents Black Power, Black Lawyer: Memoir of Nkechi Taifa Prologue—“Judge Not” Red Ba...

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The Fisher King: A Novel

by Paule Marshall

The Fisher King: A Novel Paule Marshall Excerpt Chapter 1 "Had the brass-face to come round me playing the Sodom and Gomorrah music!" The old woman they said was his g...

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Author: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan

by Beowulf Sheehan

Author: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan Beowulf Sheehan Excerpt Photographing Gregory Pardlo, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, at his home was an exercise in seeing love in the tactile. ...

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Cane

by Jean Toomer

Cane Jean Toomer Excerpt Introduction to Cane As it appeared in the Perennial Classic edition copyright  1969 by Arna Bontemps LOOKING back on the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s,...

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A PERFECT WORLD: (A Perry Richards Novel)

by Bernard Alexander McNealy

A PERFECT WORLD: (A Perry Richards Novel) Bernard Alexander McNealy Excerpt From Chapter 2: On Shaky Ground I moved to the porch baluster…leaning closer to her. ’You aren’t ruling...

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Satin Doll: A Novel

by Karen E. Quinones Miller

Satin Doll: A Novel Karen E. Quinones Miller Excerpt Bang! The sound was loud, but not quite jarring enough to register instant recognition in her reefer-dulled brain. It could have been a fire...

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A Thug’s Redemption 2: Jamal’s Return

by Yani

A Thug’s Redemption 2: Jamal’s Return Yani Excerpt They jumped on the elevator and rode down to the garage. Neither Maurice nor Angela knew what to say to Keisha so they followed in silence. They ma...

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A Thug’s Redemption 3: The Wrath of Andre

by Yani

A Thug’s Redemption 3: The Wrath of Andre Yani Excerpt Tiffany disconnected the phone and paced the living room. Jamal had a second phone with only one number in it that went to a man who seemed to ...

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The Perfect Mistress

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

The Perfect Mistress ReShonda Tate Billingsley Excerpt Lauren Robinson struggled to contain her excitement. Her daddy was going to be so surprised when he realized what she’d done. As the ...

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I Can’t Wait on God

by Albert French

I Can’t Wait on God Albert French Excerpt Chapter One Pittsburgh, 1950 Summer night air was always sticky kind of air, had that stinkin mill smoke stuck all in it. Them old freight trains ...

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Diamonds and Pearl

by K’wan

Diamonds and Pearl K’wan Excerpt CHAPTER 1 New Orleans, L.A.: Sept. 2005 “It looks bad out there, man.” Larry said staring out the rain slicked window of the second floor bedroom. I...

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Holding Pattern

by Jeffery Renard Allen

Holding Pattern Jeffery Renard Allen Excerpt Black flutter, Mamma flashed about the room, workbound, her shiny knee-length black leather boots working against the wood floor like po...

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Chicken on a Leash: Lessons in Strength of Mind

by Dorothea Grimes-Frederick

Chicken on a Leash: Lessons in Strength of Mind Dorothea Grimes-Frederick Excerpt Even Dogs Cry August 25, 196 Dear Diary, The only thing bad about living next door to a rent-subsidize...

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Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace

by Iyanla Vanzant

Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace Iyanla Vanzant Excerpt Chapter 1 The Valley of Light Teaches us the lesson of stillness, through the imposition of a state of so...

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Lifelines: The Black Book Of Proverbs

by Askhari Johnson Hodari and Yvonne Mccalla Sobers

Lifelines: The Black Book Of Proverbs Askhari Johnson Hodari and Yvonne Mccalla Sobers Excerpt Introduction The tongue of Egyptian experience has the most truth. A lie runs in Cuba only until th...

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You Only Get Better: Celebrating Life Every Step of the Way

by Connie Briscoe, Lolita Files, and Anita Bunkley

You Only Get Better: Celebrating Life Every Step of the Way Connie Briscoe, Lolita Files, and Anita Bunkley Excerpt The brass headboard thumped against the wall as he rolled off of her and onto his b...

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My Soul to Keep

by Tananarive Due

My Soul to Keep Tananarive Due Excerpt Even now, alone, Dawit knew he was being watched. One of the Searchers had found him, perhaps months before. He’d noticed a cigarette butt half bur...

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Sometimes I Cry

by Linda Dominique Grosvenor

Sometimes I Cry Linda Dominique Grosvenor Excerpt I have never been more anxious in my entire life than I am right now. I’m sitting at my desk with an hour or more to kill and a list of things...

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You Only Get Better: Celebrating Life Every Step of the Way

by Connie Briscoe, Lolita Files, and Anita Bunkley

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Ida Mae

by Delores Thornton

Ida Mae Delores Thornton Excerpt Ida Mae stumbled into the kitchen, careful not to wake Papa or Milan, as she climbed the back stairs. If I’m lucky, I can pour a bath and bandage my wounds and ...

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Waiting in Vain

by Colin Channer

Waiting in Vain Colin Channer Excerpt On the day he met Sylvia, Fire woke up in Blanche’s arms with a numbness in his soul. It was his ninetieth day of celibacy, and the night before had almo...

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Life, Love & Loneliness

by Crystal Lacey Winslow

Life, Love & Loneliness Crystal Lacey Winslow Excerpt CHAPTER 3 - LYRIC DEVANEY At 11:00 am sharp, Richard’s black Mercedes- Benz arrived. His driver got out and opened the door and Richard ...

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WHEN MINORITIES LEAD IN AMERICA: A Black Theologians Political Journey

by Herman J. Fountain Jr.

WHEN MINORITIES LEAD IN AMERICA: A Black Theologians Political Journey Herman J. Fountain Jr. Excerpt Growing up in the fifties in Louisville, Kentucky, I wondered how much I was like the other kids ...

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Cowards and Angels

by Aileen Muhammad

Cowards and Angels Aileen Muhammad Excerpt Mia (From Cowards and Angels) Death before dishonor. An embrace like no other. A fair exchange. An honored declaration that life’s sagging hypocr...

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Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008

by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008 Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Excerpt Introduction Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Ind...

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Dana Dances on Paper

by Darcel Turner

Dana Dances on Paper Darcel Turner Excerpt 10 JAM "Dana," Uncle Jerry commanded, "I don’t know where your mother is, but you betta get upst...

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Prince and Me: His #1 Fan: My Minneapolis Memories

by Andrea Foy

Prince and Me: His #1 Fan: My Minneapolis Memories Andrea Foy Excerpt NEW YEAR’S EVE, PART 1 I spent New Year’s Eve 1992 in Minneapolis with friends I met from the Controversy Fan Clu...

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The Secret Lives of the Four Wives

by Lola Shoneyin

The Secret Lives of the Four Wives Lola Shoneyin Excerpt Chapter One – Polygamist I didn’t just happen upon this room; I dreamed of the pale green walls before I arrived. Now the built...

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Killens Review of Arts & Letters

by Clarence V. Reynolds

Killens Review of Arts & Letters Clarence V. Reynolds Excerpt Fiction Excerpt: “Lynched” by Kim-Marie Walker When mother named me Madame Augusta Nero in 1920, she intended whites aroun...

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Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel

by Victoria Christopher Murray

Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel Victoria Christopher Murray Excerpt Chapter 1 “Just got paid…it’s Friday night.” I tapped the button on my steering wheel, silencing the bo...

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Nobody Else Is Better Than You

by Katherine Johnson, Joylette Hylick, and Katherine Moore

Nobody Else Is Better Than You Katherine Johnson, Joylette Hylick, and Katherine Moore Excerpt Chapter 1: Nobody Else Is Better Than You The serious look in Daddy’s eyes told me his words w...

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Polo Cowboy Chapter 1

by G. Neri

Polo Cowboy Chapter 1 G. Neri Excerpt Preface: Mama is fuming. “Say that again.” I swallow and take a deep breath. “I ain’t goin’ back to Detroit.” Five m...

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CHAPTER 1: Stunt Work

by Pam Grier

CHAPTER 1: Stunt Work Pam Grier Excerpt CHAPTER 1: Stunt Work I was snuggled in my mother’s arms in the backseat of the old Buick. My dad’s Air Force buddy was at the wheel, driving us...

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Zora Neale Hurston: A Life In Letters by Carla Kaplan

by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston: A Life In Letters by Carla Kaplan Zora Neale Hurston Excerpt Chapter 1 “DE TALKIN’ GAME” The Twenties (and Before) First and foremost a storyteller, with ...

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His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice

by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa

His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa Excerpt Chapter 1 An Ordinary Day “It’s Memorial Day. Y&rsq...

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Chapter One

by Ibram X. Kendi

Chapter One Ibram X. Kendi Excerpt Chapter One Definitions Racist: One who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea. Antiracist: One who is...

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Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America

by Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America Ibram X. Kendi Excerpt PART I Cotton Mather CHAPTER 1 Human Hierarchy THEY WEATHERED BRUTAL WINTERS, suffered...

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The Quest of the Silver Fleece

by W.E.B. Du Bois

The Quest of the Silver Fleece W.E.B. Du Bois Excerpt The entire novel is available at Project Gutenberg OneDREAMS Night fell. The red waters of the swamp grew sinister and sullen. The tall pines...

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Archangels of Funk

by Andrea Hairston

Archangels of Funk Andrea Hairston Excerpt CINNAMON HAIR ON FIRE “Who’s afraid of the future?” Cinnamon Jones sucked a deep breath and raced downhill in the dark on fast hy...

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The Savion Sequence

by D. Amari Jackson

The Savion Sequence D. Amari Jackson Excerpt PROLOGUE “How could this be?” marveled the wide-eyed Nubian, removing the protective mask covering his nose and mouth so his partner could ...

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The Savion Sequence

by D. Amari Jackson

The Savion Sequence D. Amari Jackson Excerpt PROLOGUE “How could this be?” marveled the wide-eyed Nubian, removing the protective mask covering his nose and mouth so his partner could ...

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Done in the Dark

by Tamara Morgan

Done in the Dark Tamara Morgan Excerpt Though she knew she should take comfort that Mama Ella was going to ‘a better place,’ despite her grandmother’s efforts Karina’s faith i...

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Done in the Dark

by Tamara Morgan

Done in the Dark Tamara Morgan Excerpt Chapter 1 Though she knew she should take comfort that Mama Ella was going to ‘a better place,’ despite her grandmother’s efforts Karina&rsqu...

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Gone Fishin’

by Walter Mosley

Gone Fishin’ Walter Mosley Excerpt Gone Fishin' CHAPTER ONE Mouse had changed. Before he announced his engagement to EttaMae he was a happy man, full of himself. It's true that he...

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From Presence to Power: How to Take On the Fights That Matter—and Win

by Rashad Robinson

From Presence to Power: How to Take On the Fights That Matter—and Win Rashad Robinson Excerpt 1 Presence Is Not Enough Definition: Presence is about visibility, the ability to make something—a ...

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Notes of Artistic Freedom Fighter

by Marvin X

Notes of Artistic Freedom Fighter Marvin X Excerpt INTRODUCTION By Dr. Nathan Hare With the return of “white nationalism” to the international stage and the White House and new th...

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Food and the City

by Ina Yalof

Food and the City Ina Yalof Excerpt Alexander SmallsThe Cecil Daylight floods his Harlem apartment, an eclectic space crammed with old and new mementos from a well-traveled, well-lived life. The...

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The Man Who Cried I Am

by John A. Williams

The Man Who Cried I Am John A. Williams Excerpt FOREWORD by Graham Hodges   The publication of John A. Williams’ fourth novel, The Man Who Cried I Am, in October, 1967, caused cr...

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Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora

by Sheree Renée Thomas

Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora Sheree Renée Thomas Excerpt The Comet by W. E. B. Du Bois (1920) He stood a moment on the steps of the bank, watching th...

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On The Shoulders Of Giants: My Journey Through The Harlem Renaissance

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

On The Shoulders Of Giants: My Journey Through The Harlem Renaissance Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Excerpt "Some Technicolor Bazaar" How Harlem Became the Center of the Universe Harlem!&helli...

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Wonderful Ethiopians Of The Ancient Cushite Empire, Book 1

by Drusilla Dunjee Houston

Wonderful Ethiopians Of The Ancient Cushite Empire, Book 1 Drusilla Dunjee Houston Excerpt The minds of men today are stirred with eager questionings about the origin of civilization and about ...

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Alain Locke: An Introduction

by Charles Molesworth

Alain Locke: An Introduction Charles Molesworth Excerpt ALAIN LOCKE: AN INTRODUCTION(Part 1)      Alain Locke established his intellectual brilliance by a lifetime of study ...

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All I Want For Christmas

by Joyce A. Brown, Princess F.L. Gooden, Terri Ann Johnson, Sonia Johnston, Patricia Woodside, Cryssy Dee, Candy Jackson, and others

All I Want For Christmas Joyce A. Brown, Princess F.L. Gooden, Terri Ann Johnson, Sonia Johnston, Patricia Woodside, Cryssy Dee, Candy Jackson, and others Excerpt An excerpt from Terri Ann Johnson&rs...

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Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin’ with Mother Nature

by Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin’ with Mother Nature Dick Gregory Excerpt 1Warning: The Author Has Determined That Not Reading the Following Pages Is Dangerous to Your Health ...

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My Brown Baby

by Denene Millner

My Brown Baby Denene Millner Excerpt Chapter 1 My Escort into Motherhood I WAS A YOUNG REPORTER WHEN I MET HER—full of energy, I had a flat stomach, still 120 pounds soaking wet, still ea...

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Foreword Justice for Marcus Garvey

by Julius Garvey

Foreword Justice for Marcus Garvey Julius Garvey Excerpt Foreword Excerpt by Ta-Nehisi Coates “I grew up in a household where Malcolm X was Jesus, and I guess that would make Garvey God. Gar...

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