In celebration of Black History Month in the U.S., this year I’ve gathered together a collection of nonfiction from Black authors. DISCLAIMER: Some of the books included here contain themes of violence and sexual assault, so reader discretion is advised. Feel free to pick a few to read that seem interesting to you!

1. Michelle Duster, Ida B. the Queen: the Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells (2021)

Seventy-one years before fifteen year old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white woman, Ida B. Wells – a born slave – was standing on business!

In May of 1884, while on a train ride from Memphis to Nashville, Wells reached a turning point. She was told to move to the car designated for African Americans, despite the fact that she had already purchased her first-class ticket.

Wells refused, on principle, before being forcibly removed from the train. In this inspiring biography, Duster tells the incredible story of Wells’s life, including stories from her childhood in Mississippi, and her later work as a pioneering journalist and anti-lynching crusader.

 

2. Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography (1987)

Autobiographies are so important because they provide us with a first-hand account of another person’s life and experiences. They can offer invaluable insights into historical events, social issues and personal struggles.

Autobiographies can also inspire readers and promote self-discovery through experiential learning.

Assata: An Autobiography recounts the experiences of American activist Assata Shakur, from growing up in poverty, to her affiliation with the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation army, to her eventual incarceration and escape to Cuba where she was granted political asylum and continues to live today. This book is one I genuinely had trouble putting down.

3. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Mis-Education of the Negro (1933)

A little history lesson about Woodson: He completed his PhD in history at Harvard University in 1912, making him the second Black American (after W. E. B. Du Bois) to earn a doctorate.

He would later initiate  the celebration of Negro History Week, the predecessor to Black History Month. The Mis-Education of the Negro is an essential read because despite being published more than 90 years ago, it echoes the very topics we hear being debated today, such as critical race theory.

This classic advocates for excellence and reformation in the education of Black students. This is one of my all-time favorites.

 

4. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Lisa Frazier, The Pact: Three Young Black Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream

The three doctors grew up in the streets of Newark, facing city life’s temptations, pitfalls, even jail. But one day these three young men made a pact. They promised each other they would all become doctors, and stick it out together through the long, difficult journey to attaining that dream.

Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt are not only friends to this day—they are all doctors. This is a story about joining forces and beating the odds—an essential read for any month!

  

5. Dr. Joy DeGruy, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (2005)

Listen… I could honestly go on and on about DeGruy’s work on the theoretical concept of post-traumatic slave syndrome and the inheritance of multi-generational trauma.

I was first introduced to the world renowned psychologists through YouTube, where I watched a number of her recorded lectures. I remember being so fascinated by the way she delivered her lectures with the perfect balance of intensity, sensitivity and comedic relief (which is needed for these kinds of heavy topics!).

I encourage you to head over to youtube to watch her lecture on post traumatic slave syndrome.

Post traumatic slave syndrome is defined by DeGruy (2005) as “a condition that exists when a population has experienced multigenerational trauma resulting from centuries of slavery and continues to experience oppression and institutionalized racism today.”

6. Harriet Washington, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (2008)

One of the more intense readings on this list (but also one my favorites because of how informative it is), Medical Apartheid, is a compendium that explores the historical and present day role of institutionalized racism in American healthcare and medicine.

From the era of slavery to the present day, starting with the earliest encounters between Black Americans and Western medical researchers and the racist pseudoscience that resulted, Washington flawlessly details the ways both slaves and freedmen were used in hospitals for experiments conducted without their knowledge—a tradition that continues today.

I felt this book needed to be included because it provides the context for comprehending the behavioral fallout that has caused Black Americans to view researchers—and the whole medical establishment—with such deep distrust.

7. Shomari Wills, Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Survived Slavery and Became Millionaires

Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of industrious, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.

Mary Ellen Pleasant, used her Gold Rush wealth to further the cause of abolitionist John Brown. Robert Reed Church, became the largest landowner in Tennessee.

Hannah Elias, the mistress of a New York City millionaire, used the land her lover gave her to build an empire in Harlem. Orphan and self-taught chemist Annie Turnbo-Malone, developed the first national brand of hair care products.

Mississippi school teacher O. W. Gurley, developed a piece of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a “town” for wealthy black professionals and craftsmen that would become known as “the Black Wall Street.”

Although Madam C. J Walker was given the title of America’s first female black millionaire, she was not. She was the first, however, to flaunt and openly claim her wealth—a dangerous and revolutionary act.

8. Susan K. Dass, Black People Invented Everything: The Deep History of Indigenous Creativity (2020)

Who invented the traffic light? What about transportation itself? Farming? Art? Modern chemistry? Who made cats? What if I told you there was ONE answer to all of these questions? That one answer: BLACK PEOPLE! I love it.

Black People Invented Everything is a mini-encyclopedia that explores the contributions of black people to various fields and industries throughout history. With wit and wisdom (and tons of pictures!) Dass digs deeper than the whitewashed history we learn in school books and explores how our African ancestors established the foundation of modern society. 

Let me know what you think of this list and which books on here you’re excited to delve into.