Their StoryPoet, essayist and librarian who described herself as 'black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.' Born in New York in 1934 to Caribbean immigrant parents, she used poetry and essays to name what others left unsaid about race, sexuality, class and illness.Her essays 'The Master's Tools' and 'Uses of the Erotic' reward the full text.See Their Full Story
Their StoryNigerian novelist and essayist whose books, including 'Half of a Yellow Sun' and 'Americanah', are read worldwide. Her TEDx talk 'The Danger of a Single Story' and essay 'We Should All Be Feminists' brought her ideas to an audience well beyond literary fiction.'We Should All Be Feminists' is a short, direct entry point before the novels.See Their Full Story
ContextBaldwin on the necessity of facing hard truths before anything can change.Read More: Black Literature
Their StoryNovelist and essayist whose work on race, sexuality and belonging in America remains central reading. Born in Harlem in 1924, he wrote much of his sharpest work from France, at a distance that let him see his country clearly.'The Fire Next Time' and 'Giovanni's Room' are the usual entry points.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextA short version of Kendi's central argument about racism as action, not label.Read More: Black Literature
Their StoryHistorian and author of 'How to Be an Antiracist' and 'Stamped from the Beginning', which won the National Book Award. He founded the Center for Antiracist Research, first at American University and later at Boston University.'How to Be an Antiracist' is the direct primary source for his own framing.See Their Full Story
ContextAdichie's own working definition of the word, from her widely shared TEDx talk.Read More: Black Literature
Their StoryNigerian novelist and essayist whose books, including 'Half of a Yellow Sun' and 'Americanah', are read worldwide. Her TEDx talk 'The Danger of a Single Story' and essay 'We Should All Be Feminists' brought her ideas to an audience well beyond literary fiction.'We Should All Be Feminists' is a short, direct entry point before the novels.See Their Full Story
ContextFrom her TED talk, on how one-dimensional narratives flatten whole peoples.Read More: Black Literature
Their StoryNigerian novelist and essayist whose books, including 'Half of a Yellow Sun' and 'Americanah', are read worldwide. Her TEDx talk 'The Danger of a Single Story' and essay 'We Should All Be Feminists' brought her ideas to an audience well beyond literary fiction.'We Should All Be Feminists' is a short, direct entry point before the novels.See Their Full Story
Their StoryNovelist and essayist whose work on race, sexuality and belonging in America remains central reading. Born in Harlem in 1924, he wrote much of his sharpest work from France, at a distance that let him see his country clearly.'The Fire Next Time' and 'Giovanni's Room' are the usual entry points.See Their Full Story
“ What I really aspire to do in the poem is to be able to use my words to envision a way in which our country can still come together and can still heal. ”
