LibGuides: F.A. Day Library: Spotlight on Black History

Fiction

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African-Americans and his older brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves that the town fathers--and Turner's--want to change into a tourist spot.
The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers
From the capture of an African boy in the 1750s through the lives of his descendants, for 200 years one family's dreams lead them away from and back to the small plot of land in South Carolina that they call the Glory Field.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.
Mississippi Trial 1955 by Chris Crowe
In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old African-American from Chicago.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
Fire from the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
Sylvia Patterson's life suddenly changes with the integration of Little Rock's Central High in 1957 when she is selected to be one of the first black students to attend the previously all white school.
My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow
Thirteen-year-old Louise uncovers secrets about her family and her neighborhood during the violent protests over school desegregation in 1960 New Orleans.
Stella by Starlight by Draper, Sharon M.
When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town.
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
When Marlee hears a rumor that her new friend, Liz, is an African American girl passing as white, the two young girls realize their friendship could bring danger to their families.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
In the summer of 1968, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters travel to California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know.
Devil on My Heels by Joyce McDonald
In 1959 fifteen-year-old Dove, the daughter of a prosperous orange grower in Benevolence, Florida, feels increasingly uneasy after learning of acts of racism against the African American orange pickers by those close to her.
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
During World War II, Ida Mae, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Dangerous Skies by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Hypocrisy and prejudice twist events in such a way as to implicate two children, one from a prominent white family and the other an African-American, in a murder.
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend.
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson is shot to death, his community is thrown into an uproar because Tariq was black and the shooter, Jack Franklin, is white, and in the aftermath everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events agree.
Crossing Jordan by Adrian Fogelin
Twelve-year-old Cass meets her new African-American neighbor, Jemmie, and despite their families' prejudices, they build a strong friendship around their mutual talent for running and a pact to read Jane Eyre.

Nonfiction

Amistad by Walter Dean Myers
In 1839 Africans aboard the slave ship Amistad revolted against their Spanish captors, landed in the United States were put on trial for piracy and murder.
Breaking Ground Breaking Silence by Joyce Hansen
Construction workers in New York City uncovered an African burial site in 1991, revealing much about the lives of African-American people in Colonial times.
The March on Washington by James Haskins
Discusses the people and events connected with the 1963 March on Washington, as well as the consequences of this well-known civil rights demonstration.
We've Got a Job by Cynthia Y. Levinson
Discusses the 1963 Birmingham Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Scottsboro Boys by James Haskins
Examination of the trials of nine African American youths who were charged with the assault of two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931.
Harlem Stomp! by Laban Carrick Hill
Offers a cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance, discussing how it sparked a period of intellectual, artistic, literary, and political blossoming for many African-Americans.
We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson
Explores the history of Negro League baseball teams, discussing owners, players, hardships, wins, and losses.
The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin
In 1944, 50 black sailors refused to work in unsafe and unfair conditions after an explosion in Port Chicago killed 320 servicemen, an incident that influenced the civil rights movement.
Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone
Tells the story of America's first black paratroopers during World War II.
Oh, Freedom! by Casey King
Conversations between young people and civil rights activists describe the history of efforts to make equality a reality for African-Americans.

Graphic Novels

March by John Lewis et al.
A graphic novel version of events from the life of Georgia congressman John Lewis, focusing on his youth in rural Alabama, his meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement.
The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long et al.
A black family and a white family in 1960s Texas find common ground during the Civil Rights Movement.
Yummy by G. Neri & Randy DuBurke
Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven-year old African American gang member from Chicago went on the run after shooting a young girl and was later found dead, shot by members of his own gang.

Biography

The Arts
Alvin Ailey
Beyonce
Duke Ellington
Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Savion Glover
Lena Horne
Mahalia Jackson
Michael Jackson
Spike Lee
Tupac Shakur
James van der Zee

Civil Rights
Daisy Bates
Frederick Douglass
Fannie Lou Hamer
Coretta Scott King
Martin Luther King Jr.
Rosa Parks
Paul Robeson
Bayard Rustin
Sojourner Truth
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Malcolm X

Exploration
Guion Bluford
Matthew Henson
York

Literature
Maya Angelou
James Baldwin
Toni Morrison
Walter Dean Myers
Alice Walker
Phyllis Wheatley

Politics
Barack Obama
Colin Powell
Condoleeza Rice

Science & Technology
Benjamin Banneker
George Washington Carver
Madam C.J. Walker

Sports
Hank Aaron
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Muhammad Ali
Arthur Ashe
Cynthia Cooper
Grant Hill
Chamique Holdsclaw
Florence Griffith Joyner
Shaquille O'Neal
Jesse Owens
Jackie Robinson
Rajon Rondo
Sheryl Swoopes
Venus & Serena Williams
Tiger Woods