Island in the Sun by Harry Belafonte

World famous entertainer and humanitarian Harry Belafonte's lovely, lyrical childhood recollection of Jamaica is a tender portrait that will easily strike a chord in anyone who feels bound to a special place. The "story" first appeared as lyrics to an engaging calypso song popularized by Mr. Belafonte. In concert with Alex Ayliffe's luminously beautiful illustrations, childhood days of sugarcane fields, shining sands, and fishermen casting their nets into glittering waters are affectionately recalled, expressing the ties of family, history, and personal experiences that make any well-loved place a home of the heart.

Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (33 1/3)

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Kanye West created the most compelling body of pop music by an American artist during the period. Having risen from obscurity as a precocious producer through the ranks of Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella records, by the time he released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (MBDTF) in late 2010, West had evolved into a master collagist, an alchemist capable of transfiguring semi-obscure soul samples and indelible beats into a brash and vulnerable new art form. A look at the arc of his career, from the heady chipmunk soul exuberance of The College Dropout (2004) to the operatic narcissism of MBDTF, tells us about the march of pop music into the digital age and, by extension, the contradictions that define our cultural epoch. In a cloud-based and on-demand culture - a place of increasing virtualization, loneliness, and hyper-connectivity - West straddles this critical moment as what David Samuels of The Atlantic calls "the first true genius of the iPhone era, the Mozart of contemporary American music." In the land of taking a selfie, honing a personal brand, and publicly melting down online, Kanye West is the undisputed king. Swallowing the chaos wrought by his public persona and digesting it as a grandiose allegory of self-redemption, Kanye sublimates his narcissism to paint masterstroke after masterstroke on MBDTF, a 69-minute hymn to egotistical excess. Sampling and ventriloquizing the pop music past to tell the story of its future - very much a tale of our culture's wish for unfettered digital ubiquity - MBDTF is the album of its time, an aesthetic self-acquittal and spiritual autobiography of our era's most dynamic artist.

J Dilla's Donuts (33 1/3)

From a Los Angeles hospital bed, equipped with little more than a laptop and a stack of records, James “J Dilla” Yancey crafted a set of tracks that would forever change the way beatmakers viewed their artform. The songs on Donuts are not hip hop music as “hip hop music” is typically defined; they careen and crash into each other, in one moment noisy and abrasive, gorgeous and heartbreaking the next. The samples and melodies tell the story of a man coming to terms with his declining health, a final love letter to the family and friends he was leaving behind. As a prolific producer with a voracious appetite for the history and mechanics of the music he loved, J Dilla knew the records that went into constructing Donuts inside and out. He could have taken them all and made a much different, more accessible album. If the widely accepted view is that his final work is a record about dying, the question becomes why did he make this record about dying? Drawing from philosophy, critical theory and musicology, as well as Dilla’s own musical catalogue, Jordan Ferguson shows that the contradictory, irascible and confrontational music found on Donuts is as much a result of an artist’s declining health as it is an example of what scholars call “late style,” placing the album in a musical tradition that stretches back centuries.

A Dictionary of African Mythology: The Mythmaker as Storyteller

In this marvelous collection of hundreds of fascinating, mysterious, and revealing tales, Harold Scheub captures the immense sweep and diversity of African mythology. Scheub offers an unprecedented collection of 400 stories, arranged alphabetically, that touch on virtually every aspect of religious belief. Here are gods and goddesses, epic heroes and divine tricksters, along with epics of the world's origins, the struggle between the human and the divine, and much more. Scheub covers the entire continent, from the mouth of the Nile to the shores of the Cape of Good Hope, including North African as well as sub-Saharan cultures. Here, for example, is the tale of Abu Zayd (from the Bani Hilal of Tunisia), an epic hero who battles a jinni; and here too is a myth of how the moon and the toad created the first man and woman, from the Soko of Congo. Scheub not only retells each story, but provides information about the respective belief system, the main characters, and related stories or variants. Perhaps most important, Scheub emphasizes the role of mythmaker as storyteller--as a performer for an audience. He explores various techniques, from the rhythmic movements of a Zulu mythmaker's hands to the way a storyteller will play on the familiar context of other myths within her cultural context. In A Dictionary of African Mythology, Harold Scheub has constructed an invaluable bridge to the richly diverse oral cultures of Africa. In this magnificent collection, he not only provides hundreds of fascinating myths, but recaptures their cultural contexts--in which story and storyteller, tradition and performance, all merge. A Dictionary of African Mytholo - Harold Scheub

Acapella Revolution by Professor Griff

Acapella Revolution (paperback, 264 pages) is the most recent book by Professor Griff. It discusses a wide range of issues and is interspersed with poetry and lyrics. The writing style is very creative. It is a multi-layered construction of a literary work. The book is infused with the "oral traditional" found in African heritage. A'capella being associated with the "oral tradition" refers to the transmission of cultural lessons through vocal utterance, vibration and frequencies.. The "oral lore" is cultural material and tradition transmitted orally from one generation to the next. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and in modern times may take the form of Hip Hop. Professor Griff is practicing this tradition to pass on the information about the true nature of our world. The science of socializing the thoughts of the listener is the revolutionary method that the A'capella revolution movement will bring about. This "social science" is the oratorical discipline that is in practice today to affect society and human behavior. The a'capella revolution is the revolution in a'capella. Acapella Revolution - Professor Griff

Before Egypt: The Maa Confederation, Africa's First Civilization by Dr. Clyde Winters

In this book Dr. Clyde Winters will discuss the history and anthropology of Africa’s first civilization : The Maa Confederation. The Maa Confederation was the original homeland of the Egyptians, Mande, Sumerians , Elamites and Dravidian speaking people. I call these people Proto-Saharans or Maaites. They worshipped Seth and Amon/Amma. Dr. Clyde Winters is an anthropologist and educator. He has taught Education and Linguistic courses at Governors State University and Saint Xavier University-Chicago. Before Egypt_ The Maa Confedera - Clyde Winters

100 Years of Lynchings

Ginzburg compiles vivid newspaper accounts from 1886 to 1960 to provide insight and understanding of the history of racial violence. 100 Years of Lynchings - Ralph Ginzburg

Black Economic Empowerment: Create Your Own Plan to Build Great Wealth by Robin Walker

Considering the present economic climate: Can you afford to be ignorant about money? In this book, Robin Walker explains the basic principles of wealth creation which ends with a step-by-step plan which ordinary people can follow. You will discover: 1. What is keeping the Black Community in poverty 2. Why mainstream economics and business education is a deception 3. Your first steps to getting into business 4. Your first steps to getting into property 5. A practical action plan to get you off the plantation towards financial freedom Make this book your first stepping stone to financial freedom

Breaking the Mirror of Heaven: The Conspiracy to Suppress the Voice of Ancient Egypt

Exposes the many cycles of monument destruction and cultural suppression in Egypt from antiquity to the present day • Details the vandalism of Egyptian antiquities and suppression of ancient knowledge under foreign rulers who sought to cleanse Egypt of its “pagan” past • Reveals the real reason behind Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt: Freemasonry • Shows how the censorship of nonofficial Egyptology as well as new archaeological discoveries continued under Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass Called the “Mirror of Heaven” by Hermes-Thoth and regarded as the birthplace of civilization, science, religion, and magic, Egypt has ignited the imagination of all who come in contact with it since ancient times--from Pythagoras and Plato to Alexander the Great and Napoleon to modern Egyptologists the world over. Yet, despite this preeminence in the collective mind, Egypt has suffered considerable destruction over the centuries. Even before the burning of the Great Library at Alexandria, the land of the pharaohs was pillaged by its own people. With the arrival of foreign rulers, both Arabic and European, the destruction and thievery continued along with suppression of ancient knowledge as some rulers sought to cleanse Egypt of its “pagan” past. Exploring the many cycles of destruction and suppression in Egypt as well as moments of salvation, such as the first registered excavations by Auguste Mariette, Robert Bauval and Ahmed Osman investigate the many conquerors of Egypt through the millennia as well as what has happened to famous artifacts such as the Rosetta Stone. They show how Napoleon, through his invasion, wanted to revive ancient Egyptian wisdom and art because of its many connections to Freemasonry. They reveal how the degradation of monuments, theft of relics, and censorship of ancient teachings continue to this day. Exposing recent cover-ups during the tenure of Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass, they explain how new discoveries at Giza were closed to further research. Clearing cultural and historical distortions, the authors reveal the long-hidden and persecuted voice of ancient Egypt and call for the return of Egypt to its rightful place as “the Mother of Nations” and “the Mirror of Heaven.”

China's Cosmological Prehistory: The Sophisticated Science Encoded in Civilization's Earliest Symbols by Laird Scranton

An examination of the earliest creation traditions and symbols of China and their similarities to those of other ancient cultures • Reveals the deep parallels between early Chinese words and those of other ancient creation traditions such as the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt • Explores the 8 stages of creation in Taoism and the cosmological origins of Chinese ancestor worship, the zodiac, the mandala, and the I Ching • Provides further evidence that the cosmology of all ancient cultures arose from a single now-lost source Building on his extensive research into the sacred symbols and creation myths of the Dogon of Africa and those of ancient Egypt, India, and Tibet, Laird Scranton investigates the myths, symbols, and traditions of prehistoric China, providing further evidence that the cosmology of all ancient cultures arose from a single now-lost source. Scranton explores the fundamental similarities between the language that defined ancient Chinese cosmology and that of other creation traditions, revealing the connections between the phonetic structure of the words, their glyphs, and their use. He demonstrates striking parallels between the earliest systems of writing in China and the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt. He examines the 8 levels of creation in Taoism and the cosmological origins of Chinese ancestor worship, mythical emperors, the zodiac, the mandala, and the I Ching. He details the fundamental principles of land-use in ancient China in relation to the symbolism of a Buddhist stupa and the Dogon granary, ritual shrines that are also the central symbol of other creation traditions. Understanding the true meanings of these symbol complexes also reveals the sophisticated scientific understanding of these ancient cultures, for these creation symbols directly correlate with our modern understanding of atoms and the energetic makeup of matter. In exploring Chinese cosmological traditions, Scranton sheds new light on the contention that the sacred knowledge of the ancients is the legacy of an earlier culture who gave primitive humanity the tools they needed to birth the first known civilizations.

Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last Africans Brought to America

Winner of the 2007 Wesley-Logan Prize of the American Historical Association, the 2009 G. Sulzby Award of the Alabama Historical Association and a 2008 finalist for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, this acclaimed volume tells the moving story of the last recorded group of Africans deported to the United States as slaves--more than fifty years after the United States abolished the international slave trade. Sylviane A. Diouf reconstructs the lives of 110 men, women, and children from Benin and Nigeria who were brought ashore in Alabama in 1860 under cover of night, recounting their capture and passage in the slave pen in Ouidah, and describing their experience of slavery alongside American-born enslaved men and women. After emancipation, the group reunited from various plantations, bought land, and founded their own settlement, known as African Town. They ruled it according to customary African laws, spoke their own regional language and, when giving interviews, insisted that writers use their African names so that their families would know that they were still alive. African Town is still home to a community of Clotilda descendants. Download Link

Ella Baker: Community Organizer of the Civil Rights Movement

Library of African American Biography series, designed to provide concise, readable, and up-to-date lives of leading black figures in American history.

Ella Baker: Freedom Bound

Praise for ELLA BAKER "Splendid biography ...a valuable contribution to the growing body of literature on the critical roles of women in civil rights."--Joyce A. Ladner, The Washington Post Book World "The definitive biography of Ella Baker, a force behind the civil rights movement and almost every social justice movement of this century."--Gloria Steinem "This book will be received with plaudits for its empathy, insightfulness, and gendered narration of an astonishingly neglected life that was pivotal in the pursuit of American justice and humanity."--David Levering Lewis Pulitzer Prize-winning author of W. E. B. Du Bois "Pathbreaking. By illuminating the little-known story of how profoundly Ella Baker influenced the most radical activists of the era, Grant's graceful portrayal reveals Miss Baker's transformative impact on recent history."--Kathleen Cleaver

Hip Hop Illuminati Book 2: Hip Hop's Role in the New World Order

In my first book, Hip Hop Illuminati, I told you how and why the Illuminati took over Hip-Hop. In this book, I will show you how the game is, once again, evolving. But more importantly I will show you how hip hop music will affect today’s youth and their future. According to findings, at any given moment, hundreds of very serious conversations about the changing face of hip-hop are taking place, with many individuals appearing to have an actual emotional (financial) stake in the matter. Social scientists confirm that there are people who are deeply concerned about the current state of hip-hop and who continually express genuine worry over the musical genre’s influence in the future. With hip hop making its way all the way up to the oval office via Jay-Z (and others) you can be assured that among those “worrying” are the Illuminati.

Holocaust in the Homeland: Black Wall Street's Last Days

Holocaust in the Homeland tells the story of one of the darkest days in US history. Envious locals in Tulsa dubbed the Greenwood section "Black Wall Street" because of its economic success, but that success was obliterated by a riot in 1921. The riot completely razed Greenwood, destroying the lives of its 10,000 residents. This account sees the events through the eyes of a fictional reporter. It offers perspective and hope. The events of Memorial Day, 1921 were hidden for the better part of a century, but knowing the truth about that day is critical to understanding ourselves and our motives and will ultimately make us all safer in an unsafe world. Today, just as in 1921, media hype too often obscures truth and embraces hype because hype is more interesting. The truth about this event must no longer be kept secret. Follow Sam Stackhouse, an old man remembering, as he discovers truth and wisdom.

The Invention of the White Race, Volume 1: Racial Oppression and Social Control by Theodore W. Allen and Jeffrey B. Perry

When the first Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619, there were no “white” people there. Nor, according to colonial records, would there be for another sixty years. In this seminal two-volume work, The Invention of the White Race, Theodore W. Allen tells the story of how America’s ruling classes created the category of the “white race” as a means of social control. Since that early invention, white privileges have enforced the myth of racial superiority, and that fact has been central to maintaining ruling-class domination over ordinary working people of all colors throughout American history. Volume I draws lessons from Irish history, comparing British rule in Ireland with the “white” oppression of Native Americans and African Americans. Allen details how Irish immigrants fleeing persecution learned to spread racial oppression in their adoptive country as part of white America. Since publication in the mid-nineties, The Invention of the White Race has become indispensable in debates on the origins of racial oppression in America. In this updated edition, scholar Jeffrey B. Perry provides a new introduction, a short biography of the author and a study guide.

Is the White Man Still the Devil?: The Nation of Islam, (The Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, Myths vs Realities, an Islamic Perspective

A historical, personal, and close up look at the Nation of Islam and its founder, Elijah Muhammad, Islam, and Malcolm X. in a manner distinct from other presentations. The overall theme of the book is the teachings of Elijah Muhammad that he called Islam and its effect on the lives of those who became his followers

Is Your Doctor's Medicine Killing You?: Medical Drugs That Do Not Work by Llaila O Afrika

Are you aware of the dangers of western medicine. Is your medicine cabinet full of medicine that shouldn't be there? Llaila breaks it down for us how our prescription medicine could be making us sick and dependent of big pharmaceuticals without cure to our ailments.

Killing Black Innocents: The Program to Control "African American" Reproduction (from Slavery's End to the Present-Day Self-Inflicted Genocide) by Elisha J Israel

In Killing Black Innocents, Elisha J. Israel argues that throughout American history there has been an ongoing program to manipulate the rate of African American reproduction. He maintains that during the slavery era there were significant efforts to drastically increase the numbers of slaves through rape and slave breeding for the purpose monetary gain. Israel goes on to argue that following emancipation the agenda has been to reduce the black population through compulsory sterilization, long-term contraceptives, and abortion. This work unearths a largely buried history of reproduction abuse and in frank terms describes the effects of African American complicity in this program (e.g. approximately a number equivalent to 25% of the black population decimated through abortion). This sobering account not only gives a voice to those who have been exploited by slave masters, medical professionals, and government officials; it is a passionate cry in defense of black innocents.

Liberation, Imagination, and the Black Panther Party: A New Look at the Panthers and Their Legacy by Kathleen Cleaver

This fascinating book gathers reflections by scholars and activists who consider the impact of the Black Panther Party, the BBP, the most significant revolutionary organization in the later 20th century.

Living in the Era of Revolution: The Words of Malcolm X

Malcolm X's everlasting legacy is celebrated through his quotes, speeches and letters. Even to this day, many of his views remain relevant and his militant words still serve as a guide for those eager to spark a revolution.

Nigger: An Autobiography by Dick Gregory

Before Richard Pryor and Dave Chappel, Steve Harvey and Chris Rock, there was Dick Gregory. He was one of the first to use comedy as a tool to wake up people about the social and political ills that plague our society. In addition to being a comic, Gregory is also a Civil Rights and social activist (he marched with Dr. King), a weight-loss and nutrition guru, and entrepreneur. Nigger is his autobiography, which sold more than a million copies.

Slave Breeding: Sex, Violence, and Memory in African American History

For over two centuries, the topic of slave breeding has occupied a controversial place in the master narrative of American history. From nineteenth-century abolitionists to twentieth-century filmmakers and artists, Americans have debated whether slave owners deliberately and coercively manipulated the sexual practices and marital status of enslaved African Americans to reproduce new generations of slaves for profit. In this bold and provocative book, historian Gregory Smithers investigates how African Americans have narrated, remembered, and represented slave-breeding practices. He argues that while social and economic historians have downplayed the significance of slave breeding, African Americans have refused to forget the violence and sexual coercion associated with the plantation South. By placing African American histories and memories of slave breeding within the larger context of America’s history of racial and gender discrimination, Smithers sheds much-needed light on African American collective memory, racialized perceptions of fragile black families, and the long history of racially motivated violence against men, women, and children of color.

Stolen Childhood, Second Edition: Slave Youth in Nineteenth-Century America (Blacks in the Diaspora) by Wilma King

One of the most important books published on slave society, Stolen Childhood focuses on the millions of children and youth enslaved in 19th-century America. This enlarged and revised edition reflects the abundance of new scholarship on slavery that has emerged in the 15 years since the first edition. While the structure of the book remains the same, Wilma King has expanded its scope to include the international dimension with a new chapter on the transatlantic trade in African children, and the book’s geographic boundaries now embrace slave-born children in the North. She includes data about children owned by Native Americans and African Americans, and presents new information about children’s knowledge of and participation in the abolitionist movement and the interactions between enslaved and free children.

The African-American Ritual Cookbook by Lilith Dorsey

This is a ritual cookbook with divine recipes for love, money healing, protection, luck and more. Sample specialities from around the Afro-disaporan world as you bring about positive change in your life. Written by an actual initiate and scholar of New Orleans Voodoo, Santeria, and Haitian Vodou.

The Black Holocaust For Beginners

Virtually anyone, anywhere knows that six million Jewish human beings were killed in the Jewish Holocaust. But how many African human beings were killed in the Black Holocaust - from the start of the European slave trade (c. 1500) to the Civil War (1865)? And how many were enslaved? The Black Holocaust, a travesty that killed millions of African human beings, is the most under-reported major event in world history. A major economic event for Europe and Asia, a near fatal event for Africa, the seminal event in the history of every African American - if not every American! - and most of us cannot answer the simplest question about it. Here is a sample of what you will get from the painstakingly researched, painfully honest The Black Holocaust For Beginners: "The total number of slaves imported is not known. It is estimated that nearly 900,000 came to America in the 16th Century, 2.75 million in the 17th Century, 7 million in the 18th, and over 4 million in the 19th - perhaps 15 million in total. Probably every slave imported represented, on average, five corpses in Africa or on the high seas. The American slave trade, therefore, meant the elimination of at least 60 million Africans from their fatherland." The Black Holocaust For Beginners - part indisputably documented chronicle, part passionately engaging narrative, puts the tragic event in plain sight where it belongs! The long overdue book answers all of your questions, sensitively and in great depth.

The Maroon Within Us: Selected Essays on African American Community Socialization

Hillard examines the economic, educational, spiritual, and political aspects of the African American reality.

Voices from Slavery: 100 Authentic Slave Narratives (African American)

Vivid, first-person accounts of what it was like to be a slave in the antebellum South recounted in simple, often poignant language. Stark descriptions of the horrors of slave auctions, and many other unforgettable details of slave life. Accompanied by 32 compelling photographs and a new preface by the editor.

West African Contributions to Science and Technology

When West Africa is mentioned in a historical context, it is usually presented as the traditional hunting ground for slaves. Very few writers have shown any interest in the contributions of West Africans to science and technology, and thus there has been very little research that challenges the perspective that all that West Africans have ever been historically is to be under the whip of other peoples. Fortunately, the tide is beginning to change, a National Geographic article entitled Reclaiming the Ancient Manuscripts of Timbuktu mentioned that some scholars believe that 700,000 manuscripts, some dating to the twelfth century, have survived in the West African city of Timbuktu. They also say the manuscripts ‘covered an array of subjects: astronomy, medicine, mathematics, chemistry,’ etcetera. The article mentioned other data that is little known today but well worth repeating: ‘Beginning in the 12th century, Timbuktu was becoming one of the great centers of learning in the Islamic world. Scholars and students traveled from as far away as Cairo, Baghdad, and elsewhere in Persia to study from the noted manuscripts found in Timbuktu. Respected scholars who taught in Timbuktu were referred to as ambassadors of peace throughout North Africa.’ Like the National Geographic article, this lecture essay presents a different side to West African historical achievements. Challenging all stereotypes, it is a general introduction to the exciting role played by early West Africans in the evolution of Mathematics, Astronomy & Physics, Metallurgy, Medicine & Surgery, Boat building & Navigation, Architecture, and Crafts & Industry. There are some interesting findings that that appear in this text: • The Bamoun Kingdom, now in today’s Cameroon, has 7,000 surviving manuscripts in their own script • Timbuktu astronomers used the cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant and cosecant functions of trigonometry • The Dogon of Mali had an early and wholly indigenous notion of ‘big bang’ derived from a singularity • A number of iron and copper tools were excavated in Senegal dating from 2800 BC • The total amount of gold mined in the desert regions of West Africa to the year 1500 was $35 billion at 1998 gold prices • A surviving sixteenth century Timbuktu manuscript has a formula for making toothpaste and adds that regular brushing of your teeth removes bad breath • The majority of enslaved Africans were inoculated against smallpox BEFORE they were deported from Africa • A 1342 text published in Cairo mentions two royal Malian voyages sailing across the Atlantic involving hundreds of vessels • The Royal Palace of the Ashanti Empire contained a suite of apartments on its upper floor that reminded a visitor to the palace of Wardour Street in central London. • Glass was manufactured at Ile-Ife in the sixth century AD Finally: • According to New Scientist, there are surviving Timbuktu manuscripts that ‘cover botany, medicine, biology, chemistry, mathematics and climatology’ In writing this ebook, the author builds on the research of Professor Cheikh Ana Diop, Professor Ivan Van Sertima, Professor Charles Finch, Mr Hunter Adams, Mr Benaebi Benatari, Professor Rodney Medupe, Dr Nnamdi Elleh and Professor Claudia Zaslavsky. This lecture essay is one of four essays that introduce African and African Diasporan contributions to science and technology. The other three in the series concern Ancient Egypt, early East Africa and African Diasporan contributions to science and technology.

Why African Americans Can't Get Ahead : And how we can solve it with Group Economics

Have you ever wondered why, despite decades of economic development, civil rights legislation and welfare programs, the economic status of African Americans always seems to lag behind nearly every other group? Why do members of other ethnic groups come to America from other countries and, within a few years, own most of the businesses in the Black community and, at the same time, treat Blacks with utter contempt? Even when a few African Americans experience economic success, such as entertainers and athletes, why is it that so many of them end up penniless after generating millions of dollars in wealth for others? For years, the author pondered these same questions. Her research and quest for answers has led to eye-opening revelations about the fabric of American society and the fate of the African-American community. Why African Americans Can't Get Ahead is a breakthrough book which not only defines the challenges, but presents cutting-edge solutions to these challenges with a group economics approach.

Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling

"Do not underestimate the power of the book you are holding in your hands." —Michelle Alexander More than 2 million people are now imprisoned in the United States, producing the highest rate of incarceration in the world. How did this happen? As the director of The Sentencing Project, Marc Mauer has long been one of the country’s foremost experts on sentencing policy, race, and the criminal justice system. His book Race to Incarcerate has become the essential text for understanding the exponential growth of the U.S. prison system; Michelle Alexander, author of the bestselling The New Jim Crow, calls it "utterly indispensable." Now, Sabrina Jones, a member of the World War 3 Illustrated collective and an acclaimed author of politically engaged comics, has collaborated with Mauer to adapt and update the original book into a vivid and compelling comics narrative. Jones's dramatic artwork adds passion and compassion to the complex story of the penal system’s shift from rehabilitation to punishment and the ensuing four decades of prison expansion, its interplay with the devastating "War on Drugs," and its corrosive effect on generations of Americans. With a preface by Mauer and a foreword by Alexander, Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling presents a compelling argument about mass incarceration’s tragic impact on communities of color—if current trends continue, one of every three black males and one of every six Latino males born today can expect to do time in prison. The race to incarcerate is not only a failed social policy, but also one that prevents a just, diverse society from flourishing. 1595585419incarcerate

That Old-Time Religion: The Story of Religious Foundations

This book shows how many Christian beliefs could be far older than what we have suspected. It gives a complete run-down of the stellar, lunar, and solar evolution of our religious systems and contains new, exhaustive research on the gods and our beliefs. The book's main theme centers on the work of Jordan Maxwell. He has become widely known as one of the world's foremost experts on early mythological systems and their influence on both ancient and modern religions. The book also includes an interview with Dr. Alan Snow, referred to by Sydney Ohmarr as the "world's greatest authority on astrology and the Dead Sea Scrolls." Paul Tice also contributes three chapters, the last one explaining how we should revert to the original teachings of religious founders, including Jesus, before they had become corrupted by "organized religion." This book is illustrated, organized, and very comprehensive. Educate yourself with clear documented proof, and prepare to have your belief system shattered!

Africans In America (Immigration to the United States)

The United States is truly a nation of immigrants, or as the poet Walt Whitman once said, a "nation of nations." Spanning the time from when the Europeans first came to the New World to the present day, the new "Immigration to the United States" set conveys the excitement of these stories to young people. Beginning with a brief preface to the set written by general editor Robert Asher that discusses some of the broad reasons why people came to the New World, both as explorers and settlers, each book's narrative highlights the themes, people, places, and events that were important to each immigrant group. In an engaging, informative manner, each volume describes what members of a particular group found when they arrived in the United States as well as where they settled. Historical information and background on the various communities present life as it was lived at the time they arrived. The books then trace the group's history and current status in the United States. Each volume includes photographs and illustrations such as passports and other artifacts of immigration, as well as quotes from original source materials. Box features highlight special topics or people, and each book is rounded out with a glossary, timeline, further reading list, and index. Richard Worth_ Robert Asher Africans In America _Immigration to the United States_ 2004

African-American Poets: 1700s-1940s

This volume focuses on the principal African-American poets from colonial times to the Harlem Renaissance and the World War II era, paying tribute to a rich heritage that has deeply influenced the nation's literature. Poets covered in this volume include Phillis Wheatley, author of the first volume of verse published by an African American, and the seminal figures Gwendolyn Brooks, Countee Cullen, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Jean Toomer. Complete with a chronology, bibliography, and notes on the contributors, this new volume in the "Bloom's Modern Critical Views" series also features an essay by noted literary critic Harold Bloom, who introduces the volume with his thoughts on this group of vibrant poets whose work has altered the landscape of American literature. Harold Bloom African-American Poets_ 1700s-1940s _Bloom's Modern Critical Views_ 2009

African-American Poets, Volume 2: 1950s to the Present

This volume examines contemporary African-American poets from Robert Hayden to Rita Dove to the new voices establishing themselves at the beginning of the 21st century. This new edition offers a selection of contemporary critical commentary on this proud and enduring poetic tradition and features an introductory essay by literary scholar Harold Bloom, an index for quick reference, a bibliography, and a chronology. Harold Bloom African-American Poets_ Volume 2_ New Edition _Bloom's Modern Critical Views_ 2010

African American Women During the Civil War

This study uses an abundance of primary sources to restore African American female participants in the Civil War to history by documenting their presence, contributions and experience. Free and enslaved African American women took part in this process in a variety of ways, including black female charity and benevolence. These women were spies, soldiers, scouts, nurses, cooks, seamstresses, laundresses, recruiters, relief workers, organizers, teachers, activists and survivors. They carried the honor of the race on their shoulders, insisting on their right to be treated as "ladies" and knowing that their conduct was a direct reflection on the African American community as a whole.
For too long, black women have been rendered invisible in traditional Civil War history and marginal in African American chronicles. This book addresses this lack by reclaiming and resurrecting the role of African American females, individually and collectively, during the Civil War. It brings their contributions, in the words of a Civil War participant, Susie King Taylor, "in history before the people." Ella Forbes African American women during the Civil War 1998

100 Most Popular African American Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies

Here's a one stop resource, containing 100 profiles of your favorite contemporary African American writers, along with complete lists of their works. Focusing on writers who have made their mark in the past 25 years, this guide stresses African American writers of popular and genre literature-from Rochelle Alers and Octavia Butler, and Samuel Delaney to Walter Mosley, and Omar Tyree, with a few classic literary giants also included. Short profiles provide an overview of the author's life and summarize his or her writing accomplishments. Many are accompanied by black-and-white photos of the author. The biographies are followed by a complete list of the author's published works. Where can you find information about popular, contemporary African American authors? Web sites can be difficult to locate and unreliable, particularly for some of the newer authors, and their contents are inconsistent and often inaccurate. Although there are a number of reference works on African American writers, the emphasis tends to be on historical and literary authors. Here's a single volume containing 100 profiles of your favorite contemporary African American writers, along with lists of their works. Short profiles provide an overview of the author's life and summarize his or her writing accomplishments. Many are accompanied by black-and-white photos of the author. The biographies are followed by a complete list of the author's published works. Focusing on writers who have made their mark in the past 25 years, this guide covers African American writers of popular and genre literature—from Rochelle Alers, Octavia Butler, and Samuel Delaney to Walter Mosley, Omar Tyree, and Zane. A few classic literary giants who are popular with today's readers are also included—e.g., Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Richard Wright. Readers who want to know more about their favorite African American authors or find other books written by those authors, students researching AA authors for reports and papers, and educators seeking background information for classes in African American literature will find this guide invaluable. Bernard A. Drew 100 Most Popular African American Authors_ Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies _Popular Authors Series_ 2006

African American Eras Library

Patterned after Gale's award-winning American Decades series. African American Eras sets are interdisciplinary sources for middle and high school students as well as teachers, librarians, and the general patron who want the single source convenience provided by the Decades-style subject chapters covering arts, medicine and health, education, religion, government and politics, law, trade and more. Contemporary Times is generously illustrated four-volume set that covers African American history and culture from 1965 to the present. Chapters focus on the people, events and issues that have shaped history and culture in the United States and worldwide, including: -Affirmative Action Takes Aim at Institutional Racism -African American Culture Influences Fashion -African Americans Shape the Age of Information Technology -Boxer Muhammad Ali Refuses the Draft -Issue of Gay Rights Strains Black Churches -The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters -President Bill Clinton?s Tuskegee Syphilis Study Apology -President-elect Barack Obama?s Victory Speech -Wage Gap Persists Between African Americans and Whites -Biographies of Toni Morrison, Eric Holder, Farai Chideya and many more Meggin Condino_ Julia Furtaw African American Eras Library 2010

The Dirty Version: On Stage, in the Studio, and in the Streets with Ol' Dirty Bastard

On the tenth anniversary of his death, The Dirty Version is the first biography of hip hop superstar and founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, to be written by someone from his inner circle: his right-hand man and best friend, Buddha Monk. Ol’ Dirty Bastard rocketed to fame with the Wu-Tang Clan, the raucous and renegade group that altered the world of hip hop forever. ODB was one of the Clan’s wildest icons and most inventive performers, and when he died of an overdose in 2004 at the age of thirty-five, millions of fans mourned the loss. ODB lives on in epic proportions and his antics are legend: he once picked up his welfare check in a limousine; lifted a burning car off a four-year-old girl in Brooklyn; stole a fifty-dollar pair of sneakers on tour at the peak of his success. Many have questioned whether his stunts were carefully calculated or the result of paranoia and mental instability. Now, Dirty’s friend since childhood, Buddha Monk, a Wu-Tang collaborator on stage and in the studio, reveals the truth about the complex and talented performer. From their days together on the streets of Brooklyn to the meteoric rise of Wu-Tang’s star, from bouts in prison to court-mandated rehab, from Dirty’s favorite kind of pizza to his struggles with fame and success, Buddha tells the real story—The Dirty Version—of the legendary rapper.

Becoming Rasta: Origins of Rastafari Identity in Jamaica

So much has been written about the Rastafari, yet we know so little about why and how people join the Rastafari movement. Although popular understandings evoke images of dreadlocks, reggae, and marijuana, Rastafarians were persecuted in their country, becoming a people seeking social justice. Yet new adherents continued to convert to Rastafari despite facing adverse reactions from their fellow citizens and from their British rulers. Charles Price draws on in-depth interviews to reveal the personal experiences of those who adopted the religion in the 1950s to 1970s, one generation past the movement's emergence . By talking with these Rastafari elders, he seeks to understand why and how Jamaicans became Rastafari in spite of rampant discrimination, and what sustains them in their faith and identity. Utilizing new conceptual frameworks, Price explores the identity development of Rastafari, demonstrating how shifts in the movement's identity—from social pariah to exemplar of Blackness—have led some of the elder Rastafari to adopt, embrace, and internalize Rastafari and blackness as central to their concept of self. 081476746XBecoming

Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans

The national bestseller that tells the truth of about Vietnam from the black soldiers' perspective. An oral history unlike any other, BLOODS features twenty black men who tell the story of how members of their race were sent off in disproportionate numbers and the special test of patriotism they faced. Told in voices no reader will soon forget, BLOODS is a must-read for anyone who wants to put the Vietnam experience in historical, cultural, and political perspective. 0394530284bloods

Bending Toward Justice: The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy

When the Fifteenth Amendment of 1870 granted African Americans the right to vote, it seemed as if a new era of political equality was at hand. Before long, however, white segregationists across the South counterattacked, driving their black countrymen from the polls through a combination of sheer terror and insidious devices such as complex literacy tests and expensive poll taxes. Most African Americans would remain voiceless for nearly a century more, citizens in name only until the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act secured their access to the ballot. In Bending Toward Justice, celebrated historian Gary May describes how black voters overcame centuries of bigotry to secure and preserve one of their most important rights as American citizens. The struggle that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act was long and torturous, and only succeeded because of the courageous work of local freedom fighters and national civil rights leaders—as well as, ironically, the opposition of Southern segregationists and law enforcement officials, who won public sympathy for the voting rights movement by brutally attacking peaceful demonstrators. But while the Voting Rights Act represented an unqualified victory over such forces of hate, May explains that its achievements remain in jeopardy. Many argue that the 2008 election of President Barack Obama rendered the act obsolete, yet recent years have seen renewed efforts to curb voting rights and deny minorities the act’s hard-won protections. Legal challenges to key sections of the act may soon lead the Supreme Court to declare those protections unconstitutional. A vivid, fast-paced history of this landmark piece of civil rights legislation, Bending Toward Justice offers a dramatic, timely account of the struggle that finally won African Americans the ballot—although, as May shows, the fight for voting rights is by no means over. 0465018467btj

Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him

Richard Pryor was arguably the single most influential performer of the second half of the twentieth century, and certainly he was the most successful black actor/comedian ever. Controversial and somewhat enigmatic during his life, Pryor’s performances opened up a whole new world of possibilities, merging fantasy with angry reality in a way that wasn’t just new--it was theretofore unthinkable. Now, this groundbreaking and revelatory work brings him to life again both as a man and as an artist, providing an in-depth appreciation of his talent and his lasting influence, as well as an insightful examination of the world he lived in and the myriad influences that shaped both his persona and his art. 1616200782

A Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black Women in America

At the greatest moments and in the cruelest times, black women have been a crucial part of America's history. Now, the inspiring history of black women in America is explored in vivid detail by two leaders in the fields of African American and women's history. A Shining Thread of Hope chronicles the lives of black women from indentured servitude in the early American colonies to the cruelty of antebellum plantations, from the reign of lynch law in the Jim Crow South to the triumphs of the Civil Rights era, and it illustrates how the story of black women in America is as much a tale of courage and hope as it is a history of struggle. On both an individual and a collective level, A Shining Thread of Hope reveals the strength and spirit of black women and brings their stories from the fringes of American history to a central position in our understanding of the forces and events that have shaped this country. 0767901118

Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou

I have written of the black American experience, which I know intimately. I am always talking about the human condition in general and about society in particular. What it is like to be human, and American, what makes us weep, what makes us fall and stumble and somehow rise and go on. The compelling wisdom and deeply felt perceptions of Maya Angelou have been cherished by millions of readers. Now, in a continuation of her bestseller Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, she shares many of her most treasured personal experiences, reflecting on the ideas and inspirations that have touched her heart. Even the Stars Look Lonesome is a profound series of essays that explores aspects of life both big and small, with Maya Angelou serving as the unique, spellbinding guide to a powerful spiritual journey. ma.an.ev.th.st.lo

The Black Panthers: A Story of Race, War, and Courage—the 761st Tank Battalion in World War II

In a Segregated Military, the African American Armored Unit That Helped Patton Check the German Advance, Close the Rhine Ring, and Spearhead a New Postwar Army Known primarily for being the first African American armored unit to see combat in World War II and as future baseball star Jackie Robinson’s onetime outfit, the 761st Tank Battalion was forged in a devil’s cauldron of heat and prejudice at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. Here, most viewed the tankers as tokens in a racial experiment, rather than as fellow American soldiers who would actually be deployed to fight a common enemy. Led by a small cadre of white and black officers, the 761st trained to the pinnacle of its craft. The Black Panthers, as they soon were called, proved their battle prowess against other units bound for combat on the parched Texas training fields. For this, they earned a coveted assignment to fight under General George S. Patton and go head-to-head with the best of Hitler’s arsenal. Moving to the front in November 1944, trial by fire soon shook the unit to its core. Ambushed by a veteran German force, the 761st suffered heavy casualties in the confusion as they cut their way out of the trap. But the men rallied to overcome self-doubt and vindicate their losses. Quickly battle hardened, the tankers saw intense combat through November and when Germany launched its last-ditch offensive through the Ardennes in December, the 761st fought side-by-side with Patton’s Third Army. Moving swiftly, the unit helped check the German advance, cut resupply routes to the forces surrounding beleaguered Bastogne, and drove the enemy back, recapturing towns crucial to the final defeat of Germany. In The Black Panthers: A Story of Race, War, and Courage—the 761st Tank Battalion in World War II, historian Gina M. DiNicolo tells the full and unvarnished history of this important American fighting force. Relying on extensive archival research, including documents that had not been consulted in previous accounts, and interviews with surviving soldiers and family members, the author describes the unit’s training, deployment, combat, and individuals, such as Sgt. Ruben Rivers, one of only seven African American men awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II heroism. The professionalism, dedication, and courage of the 761st and other non-white units made clear that the strength of the American army in the future lay with integration—one of the enduring accomplishments of these servicemen. blackpanthers

Historical Dictionary of Slavery and Abolition

For almost four thousand years, men and women with power have exploited vulnerable populations for cheap or free labor. These slaves, serfs, helots, tenants, peons, bonded or forced laborers, etc., built pyramids and temples, dug canals and mined the earth for precious metals and gemstones. They built the palaces and mansions in which the powerful lived, grown the food they ate, spun the cloth that clothed them. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Slavery and Abolition relates the long and brutal history of slavery and the struggle for abolition using several key features: Chronology Introductory essay Appendixes Extensive bibliography Over 500 cross-referenced entries on forms of slavery, famous slaves and abolitionists, sources of slaves, and current conditions of modern slavery around the world This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about slavery and abolition

Dark Girls

In the tradition of the New York Times bestselling I Dream a World and Crowns comes this full-color companion volume to the acclaimed NAACP Award–nominated documentary Dark Girls—an inspiring and breathtaking photo book that celebrates dark-skinned women. Black has never been more beautiful, witnessed by this magnificent collection featuring accomplished dark skinned-women from all walks of life. In Dark Girls, celebrities such as Lupita Nyong'o, Vanessa Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Brandi and Karli Harvey, and over seventy-five other outstanding women share intimate insights into what their dark skin means to them. Filled with gorgeous photographs, this thoughtful, sophisticated, alluring, and uplifting collection captures the elegance of dark skin—joyfully showcasing that we truly are beautiful for who we are. dark-girls

Tales Of Dark Skinned Women: Race, Gender And Global Culture

Exploring the way race and gender are portrayed in popular culture, this text focuses on the representation of black women. It incorporates a discussion of the politics of representation in Britain and North America, and the shift from negative stereotypes to positive images to postmodern knowingness. The author pays particular attention to the reach of various race/gender literacies, most notably the impact of North American racial discourse on British conceptions of Asian and Afro-Caribbean femininity. 1857286111_185728612X

Against Wind and Tide: The African American Struggle against the Colonization Movement

Against Wind and Tide tells the story of African American’s battle against the American Colonization Society (ACS), founded in 1816 with the intention to return free blacks to its colony Liberia. Although ACS members considered free black colonization in Africa a benevolent enterprise, most black leaders rejected the ACS, fearing that the organization sought forced removal. As Ousmane K. Power-Greene’s story shows, these African American anticolonizationists did not believe Liberia would ever be a true “black American homeland.” In this study of anticolonization agitation, Power-Greene draws on newspapers, meeting minutes, and letters to explore the concerted effort on the part of nineteenth century black activists, community leaders, and spokespersons to challenge the American Colonization Society’s attempt to make colonization of free blacks federal policy. The ACS insisted the plan embodied empowerment. The United States, they argued, would never accept free blacks as citizens, and the only solution to the status of free blacks was to create an autonomous nation that would fundamentally reject racism at its core. But the activists and reformers on the opposite side believed that the colonization movement was itself deeply racist and in fact one of the greatest obstacles for African Americans to gain citizenship in the United States. Power-Greene synthesizes debates about colonization and emigration, situating this complex and enduring issue into an ever broader conversation about nation building and identity formation in the Atlantic world. 1479823171