Books like The African Americans by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Ibram X. Kendi examines the long history of anti‑black racist ideas in America, revealing how intellectuals have shaped and justified racial inequality.

The Warmth of Other Suns is a non‑fiction study of the Great Migration, tracing the journey of nearly six million African Americans from the South to northern and western cities between 1915 and 1970.

From Slavery to Freedom chronicles the rise of slavery, the blending of European and African cultures in the New World, and the development of a distinct Black culture and resistance in the United States.

"This anthology of black writers traces the evolution of African-American perspectives throughout American history, from the early years of slavery to the end of the 20th century. The essays, manifestos, interviews, and documents assembled here, contextualized with critical commentaries from Marable and Mullings, introduce the reader to the character and important controversies of each period of black history." "The selections represent a broad spectrum of ideology. Conservative, radical, nationalistic, and integrationist approaches can be found in almost every period, yet there have been striking shifts in the evolution of social thought and activism. The editors judiciously illustrate how both continuity and change affected the African-American community in terms of its internal divisions, class structure, migration, social problems, leadership, and protest movements. They also show how gender, spirituality, literature, music, and connections to Africa and the Caribbean played a prominent role in black life and history."--BOOK JACKET.

Many mid 20th century American government programs created to help citizens survive and improve ended up being heavily biased against African-Americans. Katznelson documents this white affirmative action, and argues that its existence should be an important part of the argument in support of late 20th century affirmative action programs.

A sweeping overview of the 20th‑century Black experience in America, profiling a hundred leaders from W.E.B. Du Bois to Oprah Winfrey and illustrating how their achievements in music, literature, sports, politics, and culture shaped the nation.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. recalls his 1950s upbringing in Piedmont, West Virginia, a small, integrated town where family, community, and the slow shift toward desegregation shaped his early life.