This is the story of my coming to grips with my own racism. I am not proud of it. I am trying to find an answer.

Part of Electric Literature’s “Reading List for Understanding the Prison Industrial Complex” A younger brother’s heartfelt memoir “speaks to the inequities of the criminal justice system and the damage done to family and community when loved ones are locked away” (USA Today). “Represents a much larger story about the deeply rooted effects of systematic racism, the Jim Crow South and how race, poverty, violence, crime, opportunity and drug abuse intersect.” —Ebony At the age of 9, Issac J. Bailey saw his hero, his eldest brother, taken away in handcuffs, not to return from prison for 32 years. Bailey tells the story of their relationship and of his experience living in a family suffering from guilt and shame. Drawing on sociological research as well as his expertise as a journalist, he seeks to answer the crucial question of why Moochie and many other young black men—including half of the 10 boys in his own family—end up in the criminal justice system. What role do poverty, race, and faith play? What effect does living in the South, in the Bible Belt, have? And why is their experience understood as an acceptable trope for black men, while white people who commit crimes are never seen in this generalized way? My Brother Moochie provides a wide-ranging yet intensely intimate view of crime and incarceration in the United States, and the devastating effects on the incarcerated, their loved ones, their victims, and society as a whole. It also offers hope for families caught in the incarceration trap: though the Bailey family’s lows have included prison and bearing the responsibility for multiple deaths, their highs have included Harvard University, the White House, and a renewed sense of pride and understanding that presents a path forward.

"In this insightful and enlightening book, E. Willa Simpson takes readers on a journey through the African American experience. Her version of history as retold in poetic terms is a refreshing tribute to countless African American leaders. Through her honesty, courage and the unique critical dialogue reflected through interviews with key civil rights leaders including Angela Davis, Michael Eric Dyson, Mamie Till Mobley and Howard Bingham (producer of motion picture film Ali), combined with thought provoking verses; Simpson's work promises to leave readers pondering just how deeply African Americans were affected by their shackled enslavement, psychological impact of lynchings and tumultuous history in the United States. Simpson senses the worth involved in honoring the lives of those who contributed unselfishly to the struggle for justice and equality. Her book is definitely a must read! "The Hollywood Film and Entertainment Review" "On My Brother's Shoulder's" is the single most important book for African Americans today. It pays tribute to those who came before us and laid down their lives so that future generations would be able to have better and continue to sing a triumphant song. Simpson's book presents a timeless journey through the early civil rights movement as portrayed through the skillful retelling of the brutal lynching of Emmett Till a fourteen year old youth who was accused of having wolf whistled at a white woman. Through Simpson's thoughtful examination of the ideology behind lynching noted filmmaker, historian and poet; E. Willa Simpson pays tribute to countless African American legends including Emmett Till, Angela Davis, Michael Eric Dyson, Medgar Evers, Ida B. Wells and more.

Racism is as out of place in 2008 as this old wagon would be on an interstate highway, and as ineffective as this old smokehouse would be as a refrigerator. We can no longer afford the attitudes which contribute to negative social and economic injustice, any more than we can afford to return to the old and outdated methods of the last century to achieve economic growth through equal participation in “The Great Ecotechnocracy”. For our American culture to survive we must shed the antiquated notion that because an individual is not like every other individual, they are somehow inferior, or less worthy, of full participation economically, morally, and socially. We must recognize, nurture, and utilize all talent regardless of ethnic origin. This is truly the new frontier.

This unique collection consists of the most influential narratives of former slaves, including numerous recorded testimonies, life stories and original photos of former slaves long after Civil War: Recorded Life Stories of Former Slaves from 17 different US States Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 12 Years a Slave (Solomon Northup) The Underground Railroad Harriet Jacobs: The Moses of Her People Up From Slavery (Booker T. Washington) The Willie Lynch Letter: The Making of Slave! The Confessions of Nat Turner Narrative of Sojourner Truth The History of Mary Prince Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom (William & Ellen Craft) Thirty Years a Slave (Louis Hughes) Narrative of the Life of J. D. Green The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Behind The Scenes: 30 Years a Slave & 4 Years in the White House (Elizabeth Keckley) Father Henson's Story of His Own Life (Josiah Henson) Fifty Years in Chains (Charles Ball) Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman (Austin Steward) Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb The Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave The Story of Mattie J. Jackson (L. S. Thompson) A Slave Girl's Story (Kate Drumgoold) From the Darkness Cometh the Light (Lucy A. Delaney) Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, a Slave in the United States of America Narrative of Joanna Life of Henry Box Brown, Who Escaped in a 3x2 Feet Box Memoir and Poems of Phillis Wheatley Buried Alive Sketches of the Life of Joseph Mountain Documents: The History of the Abolition of African Slave-Trade History of American Abolitionism from 1787-1861 Pictures of Slavery in Church and State Report of the Proceedings at the Examination of Charles G. Davis, Esq., on the Charge of Aiding and Abetting in the Rescue of a Fugitive Slave Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases The Duty of Disobedience to the Fugitive Slave Act Emancipation Proclamation Gettysburg Address XIII Amendment Civil Rights Act of 1866 XIV Amendment ...

Shawan M. Worsley analyzes black cultural representations that appropriate anti-black stereotypes. Her examination furthers our understanding of the historical circumstances that are influencing contemporary representations of black subjects that are purposefully derogatory and documents the consequences of these images.

If you loved the movie HARRIET https://www.focusfeatures.com/harriet/ you will love THE TUBMAN COMMAND! From the bestselling author of The Hamilton Affair, a novel based on a thrilling chapter of Civil War history and African American history, how Harriet Tubman lead a Union raid to free 750 slaves. It’s May 1863. Outgeneraled and outgunned, a demoralized Union Army has pulled back with massive losses at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Fort Sumter, hated symbol of the Rebellion, taunts the American navy with its artillery and underwater mines. In Beaufort, South Carolina, one very special woman, code named Moses, is hatching a spectacular plan. Hunted by Confederates, revered by slaves, Harriet Tubman plots an expedition behind enemy lines to liberate hundreds of bondsmen and recruit them as soldiers. A bounty on her head, she has given up husband and home for the noblest cause: a nation of, by, and for the people. The Tubman Command tells the story of Tubman at the height of her powers, when she devises the largest plantation raid of the Civil War. General David Hunter places her in charge of a team of black scouts even though skeptical of what one woman can accomplish. For her gamble to succeed, “Moses” must outwit alligators, overseers, slave catchers, sharpshooters, and even hostile Union soldiers to lead gunships up the Combahee River. Men stand in her way at every turn--though one reminds her that love shouldn’t have to be the price of freedom. It’s the perfect read before going to see the big new movie about Harriet Tubman, Harriet (November 2019) starring Kasi Lemmons, Cynthia Erivo, and Janelle Monae.

From “master of language” (The New York Times) John Edgar Wideman, a reissue of the revered trilogy that launched his career—two novels and story collection all set in Wideman’s own hometown. Damballah, Hiding Place, and Sent for You Yesterday provide a stunning introduction to the uncompromising work of John Edgar Wideman, whose literary achievements have inspired The New York Times to name him “one of America’s premier writers of fiction.” Damballah’s narratives examine the vexed history of Homewood, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhood whose origins are rooted in a time when slavery was still legal in the United States of America. The novels Hiding Place and Sent for You Yesterday personalize and interrogate that history’s presence in the contemporary lives of Homewood people and all Americans. Deeply concerned that designations such as “economically oppressed” or “Black” continue to dismiss and marginalize rather than embrace communities like the one in which he was raised, John Edgar Wideman—employing words on the page as his weapon—has dedicated himself to recording the weight, beauty, complexity, and justice that he believes Homewood’s voices, stories, and lives have earned and deserve. In 1983, The Homewood Trilogy signaled the arrival of a major voice in American literature. Forty years later, this edition of the Trilogy celebrates Wideman’s ongoing contribution by offering these masterworks to a new generation of readers.

This book is a chronology of my life. It tells the story of a young Negro boy weaving his way through a hostile, alien world, almost alone. Mama went to one of my football games at U.C. Berkeley. She didn't know anything about football, but she knew her son was on the field, and she knew he was in college. Her support through the years helped me navigate the difficult times I grew up in. This book will take you on a journey through those years, spiced with details about the worlds of college and professional football, and of track and field, as well as original reports of the events happening in the wider world.