By Ahtiya Liles
Happy Black History Month! As we’ve always known, Black history in America is more than just slavery and the Civil Rights movement, and we now have a plethora of texts to prove it. If you’re looking for engaging and fresh non-fiction books that deal with the real history of Black people in America, here are 6 suggestions to get you started:
The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis by Maria Smilios, published in late 2023 takes us back to pre-antibiotic times where the White nurses at New York’s largest municipal hospital, Sea View, began quitting in droves because of the incredible health risks in the workplace, where tuberculosis was killing 1 in 7 people. Desperate to stave off an even worse health crisis, NY’s city officials enticed Black southern nurses to move north with the promise of a better racial climate. Instead, Black nurses found themselves confined to the isolated hilltop in the remote borough of Staten Island, still facing racism and dealing with a lack of proper resources. The Black Angels spans 20 years and details the story of the incredible women, the ‘Black Angels’, who risked their lives working in horrid conditions, while still holding steadfast as they cared for NY’s sickest and helped desegregate NYC’s hospital system and find the cure for tuberculosis.
Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot, published in late 2023, balances historical honesty with sharp humor to add some lightness to a sometimes enraging topic. Harriot replaces White patriarchy as the sole focus and centers Black Americans in the history of the United States. Black AF History reframes well-known historical occurrences and figures while also highlighting forgotten stories and further adding to the diverse tapestry of American history.
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone & How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee, published in early 2021, delves into the insidious nature of racism. McGhee breaks down the nitty gritty to explain how racism isn’t just harmful to People of Color, but also harmful to White people and society as a whole. The Sum of Us brings forth the idea that racism is indeed at the root of many of America’s societal qualms and how we can deconstruct the system to benefit everyone.
A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross, published in early 2020, recognizes and highlights the myriad contributions and distinct barriers to Black women in the United States. Authors Berry and Gross pay tribute to Black women’s ability to create their own communities and safe spaces amongst systemic mistreatment and spotlight how this ability is an essential part of Black women’s resistance to both sexism and racism.
The Humanity Archive: Recovering the Soul of Black History from a Whitewashed American Myth by Jermaine Fowler, published in early 2023, looks into the dangerous erasure of Black humanity and how the social recovery of it will save all humanity. Paying homage to the oral history traditions within the African Diaspora, Fowler goes outside the textbooks and utilizes storytelling techniques to resurrect and unveil America’s non-whitewashed history. Connecting contemporary problems with past heroic struggles, The Humanity Archive provides a refreshing perspective on Black history.
Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture by Emma Dabirik, published mid-2020, dives into the complex and beautiful culture of Black hair. Looking at the appropriation and stigmatization of Black hair throughout history, Dabiri points out the way racism is baked into society’s perception of Black hair and how this racist perception breeds discrimination. While celebrating the solidarity and friendship between Black women and tackling the criminalization of locs and the cringy appearance of Kim K’s “boxer braids” aka cornrows, Twisted embarks on a journey from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, and into today’s Natural Hair movement, while anchoring Black hairstyling culture as an allegory for both Black oppression and liberation.
As the American school system catches up to the 21st century and begins teaching the wide breadth of history in this country, including the myriad of known and hidden struggles and bountiful successes and contributions of Black Americans, we must continue to educate ourselves and the next generation on the beauty that is Black History. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and we now have the resources to enable our own learning and celebration of our people.
Happy Reading!
Banned Children’s Books
