Black History - 10 Writers Everyone Must Read - Ebony

1/2/2021 BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers Everyone Must Read • EBONY
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BLACK HISTORY
BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers

Everyone Must Read
   
Everyone Must Read

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE RACE &
By #teamEBONY on February 1, 2013
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The Blacks of the 1960s: Black History

from the Pages of EBONY
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Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

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History from the Pages of EBONY

VINTAGE EBONY Over the 400-year course of African-American history, there
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: have been many inspirational, irreplaceable voices speaking to the
The Negroes of The 1940’s
hearts and minds of our people through literature. They are men
BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE VINTAGE
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and women who reside in the canon of great American authors.
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: Below, nd 10 Black authors whose works should be featured in
African-Americans in the Era of Black every American’s e-reader for the 21st century. (Will anyone have
Lives Matter
bookshelves anymore?) Consider telling a friend, foe, mother or
VINTAGE EBONY lover about these writers—not just for Black History Month, but all
The Afro-Americans of the 1970s: Black day, every day, 365.
BLACK HISTORY EDUCATION NOVELISTS

The History of Black History Month
Alice Walker
This Georgia-born novelist, short-story writer, poet and activist is

more than just the sum of her critical acclaim. It’s as if Alice
Walker actually visualizes the characters in her tales, writing
gripping narration that makes millions of readers care about how
 her characters
  A Pulitzer Prize winner for 1982’s The
turn out.

Color Purple—famously adapted to the screen by director Steven
Spielberg two years later—Walker has also been a staunch opposer
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of South African apartheid and female genital mutilation.
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Must-reads: The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970); The Color

Purple (1982); The Temple of My Familiar
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Toni
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Winner of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford) is
known for her epic prose and richly detailed characters. Oprah
Winfrey (also a star of The Color Purple, ironically) made it a
BLACK HISTORY PHOTOS VINTAGE EBONY personal mission to bring the Ohio native’s celebrated novel
BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers Beloved to the silver screen in 1998. A lover of Jane Austen and
Everyone Must Read Leo Tolstoy, Morrison’s wickedly vivid dialogue has brought her
shoulder to shoulder with the masters she once revered.
   
Must-reads: The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1974), Song of Solomon

(1977), Tar Baby (1981), Beloved (1987)
BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE RACE & Chester Himes
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from the Pages of EBONY After a 1928 conviction for armed robbery, Chester Himes faced 20
years of hard labor for his crime. His rst short stories—“Crazy in
the Stir” and “To What Red Hell”—portray the hardships of prison
The Black Americans of the 1980’s life and reveal his preoccupation with the capricious nature of

Black life. After surviving a catastrophic prison re at the Ohio
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Penitentiary in 1930, Chester Himes would go on to have his
The African-Americans of the 1990s written work published in Esquire magazine.

MAGAZINE RACE & CULTURE Must-reads: If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945); Cotton Comes to
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: Harlem (1965)

Ralph Ellison
History from the Pages of EBONY Best known for his one novel, Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison was
originally a musician who attended Tuskegee Institute on a
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scholarship. A gurative student of T. S. Eliot, the Oklahoma City-
The Negroes of The 1940’s born writer was an activist who wanted to educate and make
humanity more self-aware. In 1965, Invisible Man was proclaimed
EBONY the most important novel released since World War II; Ellison’s
expression about the Black experience was as soulful and rich as
African-Americans in the Era of Black
Lives Matter the jazz he enjoyed. His in uence on Black authors continues to
this day.
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The Afro-Americans of the 1970s: Black Must-reads: Invisible Man (1952); Shadow and Act (1964); The
Collected Essays of Ralph Ellison (1995)
BLACK HISTORY EDUCATION
The History of Black History Month James Baldwin
Before same-sex equality became a talking point on every TV

network, James Arthur Baldwin was writing truth to power. His
novels and plays ctionalized taboo subject matter (Giovanni’s
Room infamously featured a homosexual relationship) and
depicted them in seething sentiment. Baldwin’s lengthy essay
 
“Down atthe Cross”
 
(later published as The Fire Next Time) was
originally featured in two issues of The New Yorker magazine. A
Join EBONY.com Enterchild preacher from Harlem, Baldwin

email address eventually expatriated to
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Paris and lived his out his life in the south of France.
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Must-reads: Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953); Notes of a Native

Son (1955); Giovanni’s Room (1956); Nobody Knows My Name
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(1961);
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(1963) illustrated in the privacy policy. If you
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Neale Hurston
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There’s a statue in Baltimore dedicated to Zora Neale Hurston’s

life and legacy. On it, the date of her birth reads 1901, and
symbolized her “literary birth” in the town that gave her a free
education. In 1925, Hurston would be one of the few female
BLACK HISTORY PHOTOS VINTAGE EBONY writers at the center of the Harlem Renaissance at its peak. Spunk
BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers was a landmark anthology of ction, poetry and essays focusing
Everyone Must Read on African and African-American art and literature. Most readers
love Hurston for her poetic novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God
   
(later adapted into a lm by literature-loving Oprah Winfrey’s
Harpo Films in 2005, starring Halle Berry).
Must-reads: Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937); The Collected

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Stories (1995)
from the Pages of EBONY Richard Wright
This controversial author and essayist was the preeminent Black
The Black Americans of the 1980’s author of his time. Much of his literature involved racial themes,
especially the plight of the African-American. He helped to move
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the discussion of race relations right into the Civil Rights
The African-Americans of the 1990s Movement. While Uncle Tom’s Cabin gave him national exposure,
it was Black Boy and Native Son that would become staples in
MAGAZINE RACE & CULTURE schools across the country. An expatriate to Paris (James Baldwin
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: followed Wright there in inspiration) who wrote eagerly about
African-American culture, Wright’s work has gone on to inspire
countless others.
Must-reads: Black Boy (1937); Native Son (1940); The Outsider
VINTAGE EBONY (1953)
The Negroes of The 1940’s PLAYWRIGHTS
EBONY Lorraine Hansberry
Lives Matter Inspired by her family’s battle against racial segregation in
Chicago, Hansberry honed her skills under the auspices of Paul
VINTAGE EBONY Robeson and W.E.B. DuBois. A Raisin in the Sun was the rst play
The Afro-Americans of the 1970s: Black written by an African-American woman to be produced on
Broadway. Many of her other writings were published in her
lifetime, but her life was cut tragically short by pancreatic cancer.
She died 34 years young.
Must-reads: A Raisin in the Sun (1959); To Be Young, Gifted and

Black (1969)
August Wilson
 Thelate August
 Wilson
 was an American playwright whose work
depicted the comic and tragic aspects of the African-American
experience in his beloved Pittsburgh throughout every decade of
the 20th century. His Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play
Fences was but one gem in his so-called Century Cycle of literary
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work.

Must-reads: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984); Fences (1987); The
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Langston Hughes
Born James Mercer Langston Hughes, this poet, novelist, short-

story writer and social activist was one of the earliest innovators
of the Harlem Renaissance. A wordsmith for the Black experience
BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers if ever there was one, Hughes’s prose was powerful (“The Negro
Everyone Must Read Speaks of Rivers”) and his skill undeniable (Mule Bone, with Zora
Neale Hurston).
   
Must-reads: The Big Sea (1940); Montage of a Dream Deferred

(1951)
Kevin L. Clark is a freelance writer and the creator of Don’t

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Lose Your Day Job, a website for video game enthusiasts.
from the Pages of EBONY Covering all things pop culture, video games, and
tech/digital, you can keep in the loop by following him on
Twitter @DLYDJ.

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Also of Interest: When It Comes to Co-Parenting, Sometimes Love Isn’t
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: Enough
The African-Americans of the 1990s Why the Crisis of Missing Black Girls Needs More
BARACK OBAMA BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY Attention
5 Basic Tips for Healthy Dreadlocks
In this article: alice walker, august wilson, chester himes, james baldwin,
BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE LIFESTYLE langston hughes, lorraine hansberry, ralph ellison, richard wright,
The Colored People of the 1950s: Black toni morrison, zora neale hurston

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Black Americans of the 1960s were ghting to de ne their future

and themselves on their own terms; EBONY was there to capture
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By Sheeri Mitchell on February 27, 2020
Everyone Must Read
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The Blacks of the 1960s
Despite the victory of Brown v. Board of Education in the previous

 decade,
   
most African-Americans in the ‘60s found themselves still
bound by oppressive, segregated and unequal systems in not only
schools but also hospitals, housing, SUBMIT
the arts, employment and
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others. Compared with their White counterparts, they were living
as second-class citizens and far more likely to live in poverty,
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suffer unemployment and have shorter life spans.

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Luther
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King Jr.please
on refer to the privacy
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and historian agree toBennett
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that compared and contrasted the
Ok ef Read more "radical" and "militant" philosophy of protest of
 more cacious,
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Dr. King with the more peaceful approach of revered educator

Booker T. Washington. Dr. King's photo would not appear on an
EBONY cover again until the in memoriam May 1968 issue, which
featured the most iconic images from Dr. King's life.
BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers The August 1969 special issue of EBONY, titled "The Black
Everyone Must Read Revolution," voiced the disappointment and desperation of Black
Americans in the face of a decade whose rst half included The
   
March on Washington and whose second half saw the bitter
assassination of the biggest hero of the Civil Rights Movement.
Hope of conciliation was dead. Dr. King was dead. While much of
the nation mourned, some Whites rejoiced. EBONY founder John
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H. Johnson declared, "Black people have been forced now into the
The Blacks of the 1960s: Black History position where they must either ght for their rights or be reduced
from the Pages of EBONY to a permanent second class citizenship. Black people have chosen
BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE to ght and this special issue examines the many facets of that
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: ght. Here black leaders, black philosophers, black activists and
black historians discuss The Black Revolution in terms that black
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people can understand. We feel that this issue is must reading for
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: anyone seeking an insight into Black America in its most crucial
The African-Americans of the 1990s period in history." The issue delivered with inspired,
BARACK OBAMA BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY provocative pieces penned by John Conyers, Bayard Ruskin and
Black History from the Pages of EBONY: Huey P. Newton, to name just a few.
In addition to addressing social and political issues in the ’60s,
The Colored People of the 1950s: Black EBONY afforded its readers a bird's-eye view of how "the other
History from the Pages of EBONY half" lived. It offered proof that the Black middle and upper classes
not only existed but in some instances
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were thriving, providing hope of upward mobility to its readers.
The Negroes of The 1940’s The magazine continued to shine a spotlight on Black stars from
lm, television, stage, politics and sports. EBONY alone boasted
EBONY covers featuring exclusively Black glitterati. Eartha Kitt, Harry
Belafonte, Nat King Cole, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Bill Cosby
Lives Matter and Muhammad Ali not only graced the covers of EBONY but also
shared their lives and their hearts with readers, particularly as
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both related to the struggle of Black America.
Figuring greatly in EBONY of the ’60s was a focus on style and
fashion. The magazine also featured Ebony Fashion Fair models
and couture styles, showcasing the unique air Black models
brought to the world of fashion. Capitalizing on the departure
from the Eurocentric beauty standards of the ’40s and ’50, EBONY
fashion began to present a more Afrocentric appreciation of
natural hair textures and darker skin for both men and women.
Black Americans of the 1960s were ghting to de ne their future

    
and themselves on their own terms; EBONY was there to capture
the journey.
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1/2/2021 BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers Everyone Must Read • EBONY

BLACK HISTORY PHOTOS VINTAGE EBONY

BLACK HISTORY: 10 Writers

Everyone Must Read

The Blacks of the 1960s: Black History

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE RACE & CULTURE

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

BARACK OBAMA BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE LIFESTYLE

The Colored People of the 1950s: Black

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE LIFESTYLE

BLACK HISTORY EDUCATION NOVELISTS

This Georgia-born novelist, short-story writer, poet and activist is

Must-reads: The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970); The Color

Must-reads: The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1974), Song of Solomon

The Blacks of the 1960s: Black History

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE RACE & CULTURE

BARACK OBAMA BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE LIFESTYLE

The History of Black History Month James Baldwin

Before same-sex equality became a talking point on every TV

Join EBONY.com Enterchild preacher from Harlem, Baldwin

Must-reads: Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953); Notes of a Native

There’s a statue in Baltimore dedicated to Zora Neale Hurston’s

Must-reads: Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937); The Collected

Must-reads: A Raisin in the Sun (1959); To Be Young, Gifted and

CONTACT ABOUT CAREERS PRIVACY TERMS MEDIA KIT EBONY CREATES

Born James Mercer Langston Hughes, this poet, novelist, short-

Must-reads: The Big Sea (1940); Montage of a Dream Deferred

Kevin L. Clark is a freelance writer and the creator of Don’t

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE RACE & CULTURE

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE LIFESTYLE

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE RACE & CULTURE TRENDING

The Afro-Americans of the 1970s: Black

BLACK HISTORY EDUCATION

Join EBONY.com Enter email address BLACK HISTORY

The Blacks of the 1960s:

Black Americans of the 1960s were ghting to de ne their future

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE RACE &

The Blacks of the 1960s: Black History

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE RACE & CULTURE

BARACK OBAMA BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE LIFESTYLE

The Colored People of the 1950s: Black

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE LIFESTYLE

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE EBONY MAGAZINE VINTAGE

Black History from the Pages of EBONY:

BLACK HISTORY EBONY EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE RACE & CULTURE

The Afro-Americans of the 1970s: Black

BLACK HISTORY EDUCATION

Prev 1 of 120 Next

The Blacks of the 1960s

Despite the victory of Brown v. Board of Education in the previous

suffer unemployment and have shorter life spans.

Dr. King with the more peaceful approach of revered educator