(Limited Signed Copies) Thirty years of poems and a few essays of Don L. Lee beginning in the militant Black Arts Movement and metamorphosing into the more mature yet critical voice of Lee as Haki R. Madhubuti. The subject is consistently political and poetic as it challenges the people of the world to rights the wrongs committed against Black people and all oppressed people of the world.
James D. Montgomery Sr.
Full Circle - Race, Law & Justice (Hardcover)
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Full Circle is the story of one of the foremost attorneys of the last half century - Attorney James D. Montgomery, Sr. He is recognized as a well-respected statesman and passionate advocate who has devoted his career to challenging racist systems and policies espoused by the American justice system. Working with other Civil Rights Leaders of the time, Attorney Montgomery fought for - often with little or no pay - a fair criminal justice system, desegregated Chicago public schools, fair housing, and an end to police brutality.
Delores P. Aldridge
Focusing
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This timely work propels our understanding of African American men and women beyond the crossroads. Dr. Aldridge's insight and vision place Black male-female relationships in a liberating framework from which Blacks can initiate the crucial tasks of reclaiming ourselves, restoring our traditions, and reconstructing the African world.
Kwaku Person-Lynn
First Word
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An informative collection of narratives (in their words) from some of the most prominent and important Black scholars, artists. From Kwaku Person-Lynn: The most important thing to remember is that the person I am talking with has a body of knowledge that needs to be preserved for the next generation. We needed to hear our history and culture from our perspective….To know that thousands were listening to the teachings of John Henrik Clarke, Cheikh Anta Diop, Yosef-ben-Jochannan, Ivan Van Sertima, Frances Cress Welsing, W.E.B. DuBois, Asa Hilliard, Na’im Akbar, and many others was transformative to so many lives.
Randall Horton
Fingernails Across the Chalkboard
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Featuring a wide assortment of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, this powerful volume confronts the existence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the Black Diaspora. Defining a cultural dialogue that will be prevalent well into the 21st century, these writings celebrate life and the living by humanizing the effects of HIV and giving powerful voices to the affected and afflicted. The writings, presented in four major sections, speak out about the hard-hitting truths that surround HIV; the forms of abuse, such as incest and rape, which cast HIV into the lives of girls and women; the issues of grief and loss; and the range of reactions, from acceptance to denial, activism, and the search for justice. The writers featured include Dennis Brutus, Tony Medina, Randi Triant, Truth Thomas, Duriel Harris, Frank X. Walker, Arisa White, Tara Betts, and Lamont B. Steptoe.
Philip C. Kolin
Emmett Till in Different States
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The poems in Emmett Till in Different States span more than 7 decades of events in Emmett Till’s legacy from the 1940s to the present. In them Philip Kolin shows how Emmett Till’s importance has expanded from being a Civil Rights martyr to becoming a choric, heroic commentator on the tragedies of Civil Rights injustices (e.g. Medgar Evers’s murder, the Freedom Riders, the murders of Chicago’s children, Trayvon Martin), and a voice of conscience for America to hear and heed. The title of this collection points to the multiple ways we can see Emmett Till through time and space (e.g. geographic, historical, psychological, and theological.) Kolin weaves other voices throughout the poems in this collection, most notably Mamie Till, Gospel great Mahalia Jackson who bought Till’s gravestone, an old black woman (Aunt Aretha) who meets Till in the Delta, Till’s fictionalized brothers (other black men who have been slain and their bodies left to rot), his fictionalized sister based upon the Shulamite woman in the Song of Songs, the Chicago River, and even Carolyn Bryant, the white woman whom Till was said to have offended. These voices–and Till’s as well–emerge from a variety of traditions–Biblical, the blues, classical mythology, spirituals. According to Natasha Trethewey, the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States, “In the history of a nation still on the long journey toward full realization of its creed, there are stories that need to be told again and again. The murder of Emmett Till is one such story; it belongs to all of us and should be sung by many different voices. In Emmett Till in Different States, Philip Kolin adds his voice—a necessary retelling so that we might be transformed by the listening.”
Brian Gilmore
Elvis Presley Is Alive and Well and Living in Harlem
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Intertwining wit, satire, sensitivity, and rich verbal imagery, this collection of free verse celebrates the triumph of Black culture.
Askia Toure
Dawnsong!
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The poems in this collection address the cultural and spiritual needs of Black people. In Dawnsong! Toure successfully develops a heroic poetry that creates its own artistic matrix. In these poems Toure takes the reader back to ancient Egypt and, at the same time, demonstrates the relevance of Egyptian history and, at the same time, demonstrates the relevance of Egyptian history and mythology to the lives of contemporary Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.
Linda M. Thurston
Call to Action
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From the blue ribbon group of the American Friends Service Committee's 1990 National Commission on Crime and Justice, this report addresses the problems associated with incarceration.
Herb Boyd
Black Panther Paradigm Shift or Not?
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Black Panther earns three Oscars. Since its inception Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has provoked and stoked a wide range of interest, and now that the blockbuster film is the recipient of three Oscars the film’s acclaim extends beyond the box office. No, it didn’t get the top prize, but it was a barrier breaker as Ruth Carter was the first black woman to ever win in the Costume Design category; and another first for a black artist when Hannah Beachler took the trophy, which she shared with Set Decorator Jay Hart, in Production Design. Additional spice arrived when Ludwig Goransson earned an Oscar for the Best Score in a Motion Picture. These awards and other nominations for Black Panther augurs well for populist cinema that is traditionally scorned when it comes to taking home the coveted awards, particularly an Oscar, which is Marvel’s first. It’s a good bet the honors to Black Panther will not only boost the appreciation for populist cinema, it should also enhance the appeal of a number of products and projects such as Black Panther: A Paradigm Shift or Not? the forthcoming anthology at Third World Press, edited by Haki Madhubuti and Herb Boyd. “All of the celebration and awards for the film is nothing to thumb your nose at and we at Third World Press extend all our good wishes and hope we can do as well with our publication,” said Madhubuti, the press’s publisher and founder. The anthology, which includes more than forty writers, film critics, scholars, and activists, has a timely appearance and should be able to reap some of the renewed media attention the film has sparked. Among the contributors are Nicole Mitchell Gantt, Jelani Cobb, Brent Staples, Abdul Alkalimat, Bobby Seale, Robyn Spencer, Diane Turner, Greg Tate, Maulana Karenga, Marita Golden, and Molefi Keta Asante, et al. As may be discerned from the contributors the anthology is a compilation of mixed views and opinions—with both praise and a critique of the film. “The film has aroused a variety of conclusions, a wellspring of differences that we felt compelled to give them a forum,” said Boyd. “Like the film, the views expressed in the book are often very provocative.”
Thabiti Lewis
Ballers of the New School
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""Ballers of the New School"" uses American sports culture to challenge and explore notions of race in America. Dr. Lewis pushes back against topics such as anti-intellectualism, jingoism, and exploitation in collegiate athletics, as well as the role of sports culture in cultivating notions of masculinity. The book fearlessly critiques and challenges the notion that sports culture has altruistically functioned as a progressive pioneer of social and racial progress and offers a reexamination of the narrative of American sport as a leading contributor to racial progress by pointing to glass ceilings in areas of leadership on and off fields of play. The reconstructions as well as challenges to modern athletes that ""Ballers of the New School"" offers makes it a usable book of sometimes uncomfortable, but necessary truths.
Lita Hooper
44 on 44
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To give voice to the historic election of President Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, this anthology of essays, poetry, and creative non-fiction documents the conversation on President Obama's campaign within the African American community, and the dialogue after his election and since he has taken the Oath of Office. Included are perspectives on the historical moments during President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, the finale of the 2008 general election, and Obama's new plans and policies since he took office in January 20, 2009. Editors Lita Hooper, Michael Simanga, and Sonia Sanchez have assembled an impressive list of forty-four contributors to capture the energy and excitement, the expectation and hope. Featured are works from Lita Hooper, Michael Sigmanga, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Haki Madhubuti, Askia Toure, Quincy Troupe, Chuck D, Pearl Cleage, Natasha Trethewey, Tony Medina, jessica Care moore, Nathan McCall, Jasmine Guy, Farai Chideya, Keith Gilyard, Opal Moore, Sharan Strange, and Tina McElroy Ansa.
Keith Gilyard
On Location
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On Location is a Kinetic and brilliant encounter with poetic spaces suffused by Black music, sports, and the political and cultural witness of our day - Joanne V. Gabbin, PhD
Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich
Sound Bites of Protest
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Urban issues and creative African American leadership are addressed in this compendium of art, quotations, and critical essays. As the media and the internet continue to change the face of American culture, the tradition of political tomes and textbooks as primary information sources is quickly becoming outmoded. The solution utilized here is geared toward bringing plain and simple truths to a new generation of readers who seek useful information--striking and immediate--regarding politics, race, affirmative action, justice, and gender.
Tony Medina
Role Call
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""Welcome to the 21st Century"" bids the opening line of this literary ""multimedia"" experience, brought to us by three leading Black author-activists of the post-Civil Rights Movement generation. This collection of more than 300 poems, essays, paintings, photos, and mixed media representations features myriad voices of the generation bridging the gap between the children of the Civil Rights Movement and those of the present hip hop movement.
Useni Eugene Perkins
Rise of the Phoenix
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Rise of the Phoenix ""is a collection of personal narratives that articulate the political, social, religious, and cultural experiences of many who participated in Chicago's black struggle for self-determination, self-reliance, and equality during the civil rights and Black Power movements. Contributors include Timuel Black, Carol Adams, John R. Porter, and Ellis Cose with a preface by Julieanna Richardson, director of The HistoryMakers.
Mzee Lasana Okpara (Fred Lee Hord)
Reconstructing Memory
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These essays give the reader clear insight into the thinking of a Black educator and intellectual. The book offers a trenchant analysis of the writings and philosophy of some of the prominent writers and thinkers of African descent with particular emphasis upon those who conform to the Black nationalist thinking.
Kelly Norman Ellis
Spaces Between Us: Poetry, Prose and Art on HIV/AIDS
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As HIV continues to change life on this planet, encouraging tough conversations about sex, sexual orientation, healthy relationships and trust, it invigorates those young and old to challenge the status quo of silence. Editors Kelly Norman Ellis and M.L. Hunter have assembled established and emerging writers and artists from around the globe, such as American Book Award and Pew Fellowship winner Lamont B. Steptoe; renown poet and educator Tony Medina; and Emmy award-winner Kwame Dawes, for this haunting and inspiring collection of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction that paints living portraits of HIV/AIDS.
Michael Simanga
No One Can Be At Peace Unless They Have Freedom
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[Editor's note: The following is a review of "No One Can Be at Peace Unless They Have Freedom," a collection of essays, poems and other works by Michael Simanga published by the Third World Press Foundation. Simanga is a lecturer in African-American studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta and the author or co-editor of previous titles on subjects including the Congress of African People, Amiri Baraka, and Barack Obama.]
Alice J. Palmer
The World is Watching
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This valuable book, with contributors who are both practitioners and theoreticians, arrives with seriousness, containing essays and interviews of men and women with workable answers which have been refined over the years as a result of decades of grassroots, governmental, corporate, university, NGO, and other real-world experiences and confrontations. I use the word confrontations advisedly, Buzz, Alice and their son David have long and unblemished histories of working with all people. I have never known them to shy away from progressive struggles and to always be intimately involved with the burning and drowning issues of our planet. -From Foreword by Haki R. Madhubuti
Quraysh Ali Lansana
They Shall Run
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These poems trace the journeys of the great Black historical figure Harriet Tubman and her fugitives through the backwoods of America.
Ramona Hoage Edelin
We the Village: Achieving our Collective Greatness Now
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We the Village: Achieving Our Collective Greatness Now was developed from Ramona Hoage Edelin’s scholarship, teaching, mentoring, policy development, and leadership; and was established on a proven cultural foundation. In this book she asks, what are the best ways to engage young people in conversations about history and culture, politics and economic, or even music and sports? In We the Village, Edelin finds that the best strategy for engaged dialogue and increased learning requires a simple get back to basics and “connect the dots” methodology. This book—designed for educators, students, parents and all who are involved in the nurturing of young people—is meant to help build the foundation for those who will lead what Edelin calls the 21st Century Movement.
Kalamu ya Salaam
What Is Life?
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An eclectic group of poems and essays using the theme of Black culture as the thread. Salaam engages in a self assessment of his life and work using the template of Black culture.
Angela Jackson
Miracle and the Fellas
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Thaddeus and Kwane were the children of sisters. That made them officially first cousin's but in fact, they felt more like brothers. Members of their close-knit family simply referred to the cousins as "the Fellas". The Fellas and the entire family were devastated when the unthinkable happened. Thad's little sister, Maria Miracle Darling, was snatched. After 5 years, the Darling disappearance became a cold case. The Fellas, now in the 7th grade never forgot about their little sister/cousin. They vowed that one day they would find her.
Useni Eugene Perkins
Memories & Images
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Perkins reveals his personal development into his present philosophy as he recounts his childhood, extols his heroes, and sings about the jazz greats.
Mzee Lasana Okpara (Fred Lee Hord)
Life Sentences
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Life Sentences: Freeing Black Relationships is a Black man's response to the devastating effect of the Euro-Western concept of love on Black relationships. Author Mzee Lasana Okpara (formerly Fred Hord) demonstrates keen insight and confronts complex contemporary and historical issues which thwart efforts towards genuine bonding between the Black man and woman. Okpara's voice is intimate, challenging, and resolute.
