Aretha Franklin and Black Music Power
Aretha Franklin’s superior soul albums, ‘Spirit in the Dark’ and Young, Gifted and Black’, see her stepping up to the ’70s Black Power movement.
civil rights
‘Black Against Empire’ Assumes a Central and Critical Spot within the Black Panther Canon
Black Against Empire attempts something beyond the scope of power-to-the-people flashbacks of Afros, dashikis, and raised fists: it takes the Black Panther Party seriously as a political entity taking dead aim on American laws and values.
Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ and Emerging Institutions of Black Power
In contrast to the pervasive attitude of cynicism that declares the world fixed and existing power structures unbeatable, Small Axe narrates how Black Power has been and remains a viable force that shapes British and world history.
John Lewis, C.T. Vivian, and Their Fellow Freedom Riders Are Celebrated in ‘Breach of Peace’
John Lewis and C.T. Vivian were titans of the Civil Rights struggle, but they are far from alone in fighting for change. Eric Etheridge's masterful then-and-now project, Breach of Peace, tells the stories of many of the Freedom Riders.
Graphic Novel ‘Big Black’ Is a Stunning Depiction of the Attica Prison Uprising
Fifty years ago Attica prisoners rose up for justice -- and were slaughtered. Graphic novel Big Black: Stand at Attica is a powerful story from a survivor's point of view.
In ‘Wandering Dixie’, Discovering the Jewish South Is Part of Discovering Self
Sue Eisenfeld's Wandering Dixie is not only a collection of dispatches from the lost Jewish South but also a journey of self-discovery.
Jim Marshall: Photographs and Legends
From civil rights protests to the greatest rock festivals, the tender and fierce perspective of a classic American photographer is captured in Chronicle Books' Jim Marshall: Show Me the Picture.
‘Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom’ Is as Monumental as the Man It Chronicles
Noted historian David W. Blight offers readers the fullest portrait of Frederick Douglass yet in this "biography of a voice".
Timuel Black Tells His Remarkable South Side Chicago Story in ‘Sacred Ground’
The esteemed oral historian, Timuel Black, turns the microphone around to capture his amazing journey through 20th Century black America in Sacred Ground.
‘May We Forever Stand’ Explains Why “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Is an Immortal Song
"Lift Every Voice and Sing" has been embedded in black America's DNA for more than 100 years. We've sung it every February ever since Black History Month was a thing, and every December since Kwanzaa was a thing.