Celebrating Black Authors

Throughout history, Black voices have been repeatedly silenced, especially in the arts. Their works have been continually minimized, hidden, and stolen. These creatives have not gotten the accolades and recognition they highly deserve. So, in honor of Black History Month, check out some books by these lovely authors.

1. Angie Thomas

If this name sounds familiar, you’re probably not alone. If you’re a student, there's a strong chance you’ve read Angie Thomas’ most popular novel in your English class. The Hate U Give, and its prequel Concrete Rose, are stories that need to be shared with students. The Hate U Give spreads awareness about racism, police brutality, and class division through the perspective of the main character, Starr. Concrete Rose traces the story of Starr’s parents. The Hate U Give was also adapted into a movie in 2018 and has a star-studded cast including Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Sabrina Carpenter, and KJ Apa. Angie Thomas is only 36, and has already written many successful books. Through these works, she is educating the new generation through beautiful writing, dynamic characters, and compelling stories.

2. Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead is an extremely prolific author, his first work being published in 1999 and his most recent in 2023, along with a movie adaptation of his novel The Nickel Boys (which he won his second Pulitzer Prize for) coming out in 2024. In his novels, Whitehead often focuses on the Black experience throughout America’s history, occasionally done through the lens of speculative fiction such as in his 2016 novel The Underground Railroad and his 1999 novel The Intuitionist, both of which are highly awarded and recommended. Colson Whitehead often dips into other genres as well such as sci-fi through his post-zombie-apocalypse novel Zone One and his historical non-fiction work The Colossus of New York. Colson Whitehead’s works span multiple decades, tell original stories, and educate the masses. Through his authorial voice, readers are taken on unexpected journeys and taught valuable lessons.

3. James Baldwin

James Baldwin is much more than just an author. James Baldwin was a passionate activist who fought for civil rights through his writing. His bibliography spans half a century with six novels, two plays, one book of poems, and countless essays. Most notable are  If Beale Street Could Talk (which had an Oscar-Winning adaptation made in 2018) and Giovanni’s Room, along with Go Tell it on the Mountain, which was ranked in the top 100 English-language novels by Time magazine. In his works, along with many other topics, Baldwin deals with both race and sexuality, which was unheard of for his time. He was an activist ahead of his years, wise and fearless, and willing to fight for the rights of African Americans and the LBGTQ community even when the world was telling him no.