Image Awards, Recommended Reads, and More AALBC eNewsletter - 2/26/2020

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The Image Awards Outstanding Literary Work This year, the NAACP celebrated the 51st anniversary of Image Awards. On February 22, 2020, five winning books were announced in eight literature categories; Biography/Autobiography, Children, Debut Author, Fiction, Instructional, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Youth/Teens. Visit AALBC to learn which titles were honored this year.

Recommended Reads

Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM by Tonya Bolden Bolden has written numerous bestselling books for children and adults, and her work has garnered many awards, including the Coretta Scott King Honor, James Madison Book Award, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and YALSA Best Book of the Year. She is one of AALBC’s Top 100 AALBC.com Bestselling Authors. Her work spans more than a quarter of a century and more than 40 books. Tonya’s latest book, Changing the Equation, is a celebration of the contributions Black women in America have made in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Read our recent interview with Ms. Bolden ► Preorder, Changing the Equation, before March 3rd, and save 10%, get free shipping — plus we only collect sales tax on orders shipping to the state of Florida.

The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson Carter G. Woodson is the father of Black History Month. The edition AALBC sells is the ONLY one published in partnership with the organization Woodson founded, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). We are highlighting Mis-Education, the #3 all-time bestselling book on AALBC, because it epitomizes the essence of one of Woodson's ideas — self reliance. This book was written, published, printed, distributed, and sold by Black-owned businesses. The copy AALBC sells also sports our Bestseller seal — a collector's item.

The Osiris Papers: Reflections on the Life and Writings of Dr. Frances Cress Welsing The Osiris Papers is intended to be the first of many treatises written to examine the life, theories, and contributions of Dr. Frances Cress Welsing. Some of these writings will be hagiographic. Some will be critical, but all will expand our understanding of one of the greatest African thinkers of the past 100 years. A group of scholars, social activists, and entertainers write on one of the Nine Areas of White Supremacy outlined by Neely Fuller in his monumental work The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept: A Compensatory Counter-Racist Code. You will learn how Mr. Fuller directly influenced the theories of Dr. Welsing. While Mr. Fuller asked “What is racism/white supremacy?,” Dr. Welsing asked “Why is there racism/white supremacy?” There is an important difference in these two queries and each will be answered in various ways throughout this volume by writers who; knew Dr. Welsing personally; worked with her on various projects; or are deeply familiar with her writings.

Why I Sued the Bible Publishers by Bradley Fowler Written with the average reader in mind, Fowler compiles eight years of legal evidence and research supplied from American Bible Society and academia. He also adds material of Bible publishing, usually not available to consumers, acquired under the U.S. First Amendment right to freedom of press. It’s a powerful argument but one that will not sway the conservative religious base. Puzzled by the Biblical message about “forbidden” sexual orientation, Fowler, who had “exposed” himself as a homosexual in the fourth and fifth grade, was angered by people who used The Bible as a means to condemn same-sex intimacy. “Millions of gay men around the world still face discrimination because of what has been published in The Bible, and sold to religious followers as God’s truth and authentic words,” he writes. Read our full book review ►

Important Events

The 15th National Black Writers Conference (NBWC) The NBWC will be held Thursday, March 26, 2020 – Sunday, March 29, 2020 at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. The theme for this year's conference is: Activism, Identity, and Race: Playwrights and Screenwriters at the Crossroads. Learn more ►

The Children’s Africana Book Awards & Festival Awards Dinner: March 27, 2020 6:30 p.m. at the Interdisciplinary Research Building Howard University, tickets are available through Eventbrite. Festival: March 28, 2020, at the National Museum of African Art, it is free and open to all. The Children’s Africana Book Awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S. The awards were created by Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children’s materials about Africa. The awards are presented in two categories: Young Children and Older Readers.

We Mourn the Loss of Several Iconic Figures

B. Smith, Model, Restaurateur, and Author Barbara Elaine Smith was born August 24, 1949. She is a native of Pennsylvania and began her career as a fashion model, gracing the covers of 15 magazines and becoming the first African-American woman on Mademoiselle’s cover in July 1976. Smith ultimately became a restaurateur with restaurants in NYC's Theater District, DC's Union Station, and Sag Harbor, LI. where she would greet diners with a smile and treat you warmly. Smith published several cookbooks. Her last book was a poignant memoir, Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer’s. Smith, died of complications from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, on February 22, 2020, at her home on Long Island.

Katherine Johnson, Pioneering NASA Mathematician Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson was born August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. She is a former NASA mathematician whose work was critical to the success of many of their initiatives, including the Apollo program and the start of the Space Shuttle program. Throughout her long career she has received numerous awards, including the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama. Johnson died February 24, 2020 at the age of 101. Johnson’s life was chronicled in several Hidden Figures books written by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Kobe Bryant, Book Publisher and NBA Great Kobe Bryant was born August 23, 1978 and is one of the most accomplished and celebrated athletes of all time. Over the course of his twenty-year career — all played with the Los Angeles Lakers — he won five NBA championships. Few may know that Bryant was also a book Publisher, via his own Granity Studios. His debut of Granity’s first young-adult fiction novel The Wizenard Series: Training Camp was published in March 2019. His life was tragically cut short in a helicopter crash, January 26, 2020.

Dear Reader, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have purchased books from AALBC. I now you have other options when it comes to buying books on the Web, so I appreciate your business. Your business is important as allows AALBC to continue to introduce you to the books, authors, and events who you may not easily discovered otherwise. Book industry professionals and authors save the date for our annual Black Pack Party, which will be held Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Finally, please consider supporting this newsletter by volunteering to pay for your subscription. If you have already paid for an annual subscription, thank you on behalf of AALBC and the writers whose work you are helping to celebrate. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com

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