September 2003 marked the 50th anniversary of Maud Martha, the only novel published by esteemed poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Initially entitled ""American Family Brown"" the work would eventually come to symbolize some of Brooks' most provocative writing. In a novel that captures the essence of Black life, Brooks recognizes the beauty and strength that lies within each of us.

We firmly believe that our children are the stewards of our liberation. When we prioritize our children, we are also prioritizing a world shaped by peace, safety, love and justice. When we protect our children, we are also protecting our most beautiful legacies and coveted traditions. When we invest in our children, we are also investing in our most audacious freedom dreams and our most impossible future worlds. The children of Gaza, and indeed all of Palestine, are no different. Driven by this commitment, we have decided to assemble an anthology that prioritizes children. We hope to contribute to the present moment of radical resistance and revolutionary possibility by placing the lives, experiences, conditions, feelings, perspectives, and stories of the region’s children at the center of our social, cultural, moral, legal, and political analysis. For this anthology, we have chosen to exclusively spotlight the voices of progressive Black and Jewish American writers. In foregrounding Black and Jewish identities, including those writers who identify as both Black and Jewish, we hope to refute several dangerous myths about Black and Jewish Americans on the question of Israel/Palestine.

Molefi Kete Asante is a truth seeker and a warrior for humanity. His view of mankind is that there is only one “race”, that of Homo-sapiens. To this end, Asante has steadfastly argued for the liberation of the most oppressed of this species. As an Afrocentrist, he believes that everything needed to advance humanity can be found in the wisdom of ancient African teachings. Africa’s Gifts of the Spirit, clarifies and illuminates the power of “Nyanga” which is in itself a gift from mother Africa, one that has been transmitted across generations throughout space and time.

This Special Limited Edition for “One Book, One Chicago” was funded by the Poetry Foundation and printed by Northwestern University Press

Her first poetry collection, Homecoming (1969), contains considerable invective against “white America” and “white violence”