African Culture

Augusta Savage was arguably the most influential American artist of the 1930s. A gifted sculptor, Savage was commissioned to create a portrait bust of W.E.B. Du Bois for the New York Public Library. She flourished during the Harlem Renaissance, and became a teacher to an entire generation of African American artists, including Jacob Lawrence, and would go on to be nationally recognized as one of the featured artists at the 1939 World’s Fair. She was the first-ever recorded Black gallerist, and worked to advance equal rights in the arts. And yet popular history has forgotten her name.

In ordinary times, Tola lives in an apartment in Lagos, Nigeria, with her clever sister, Moji; her sporty brother, Dapo; and bossy Grandmommy. Tola is so happy! But news of a new virus—and a lockdown too—sends Moji away in one direction and Dapo in another. Then, when Grandmommy can no longer go out to work, Tola goes instead. She works for the wealthy Diamond family and makes new friends among the household staff. But even the wealthy have problems—and only Too Small Tola is big enough to solve them.

Shif has a happy life, unfamiliar with the horrors of his country's regime. He is one of the smartest boys in school, and feels safe and loved in the home he shares with his mother and little sister, right next door to his best friend. But the day that soldiers arrive at his door, Shif knows that he will never be safe again - his only choice is to run. Facing both unthinkable cruelty and boundless kindness, Shif bravely makes his way towards a future he can barely imagine. Refugee 87 is a story of friendship, kindness, hardship, survival, and - above all - hope.

Root Awakening Poetry Book, by author Reneé Drummond-Brown, digs way down deep causing the author to wrestle within. Though the book lacks handsome colored flowers, and bears spines it plants a ray of faith, hope, and love in a concealed rainbow. Nonetheless, the readers tears coupled with seeded underground poems have deep spreading roots that branch out to feed arid regions. Root Awakening is urbane and seasoned for a time such as this…The poetic filaments and fiber invigorate the readers’ mind’s eye conveying nourishment to the soul like a sun in need of A Son, and A Son in need ...

As a working mother whose livelihood as a poet-lecturer depended on travel, Camille T. Dungy crisscrossed America with her infant, then a toddler. As they travel, Dungy is intensely aware of how they are seen, not just as mother and child but as Black females. With a poet's eye, she celebrates the particular in the universal, such as a child's acquisition of language and what to pack in a diaper bag.

Tom really wants to be an explorer. His favourite book is an atlas, and he follows adventurers not footballers. His schooldays are spent daydreaming about travelling from Tibet to Timbuktu. A private wish blurted out loud started his freewheeling adventure: I'm going to cycle round the world. His classmates laughed. No one believed him, least of all his teacher.

Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era raised a new question to those in power in the US: Should African Americans, so many of them former slaves, be granted the right to vote? In this vivid portrait of the systematic suppression of the African-American vote, critically acclaimed author Lawrence Goldstone traces the injustices of the post-Reconstruction era through the eyes of incredible individuals, both heroic and barbaric, and examines the legal cases that made the Supreme Court a partner of white supremacists in the rise of Jim Crow.

Black girls, you are supposed to rock and you are magic. This book is to help you blossom, bloom, and become the ultimate version of yourself, and that starts with self-help, self-care, and most importantly, self-love. So many of you may think that this is just about pampering nights, but that's just the beginning. The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all way to take care of you. This book will help you discover the key ingredients of self-care so that you can whip up your self-love recipe. So, what are you still waiting for?

Sunjata of the Mandé Empire is a tale of perseverance and resilience. It's a story about a boy who overcame self-doubt and became a great leader by listening to the needs of his people.This story is an adaptation of an epic poem that has been told by jali poets since the 13th century. It tells of a young boy becoming the founder of the Mandé Empire, one of the richest empires in African and Malian history.

This is a story that begins not with the ‘Windrush Generation’ of Caribbean immigrants to Britain, but with post-1960s arrivals from African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Somalia. Some came from former British colonies in the wake of newfound independence; others arrived seeking prosperity and an English education for their children. Now, in the 2020s, their descendants have unleashed a tidal wave of creativity and cultural production stretching from Lambeth to Lagos, Islington to the Ivory Coast.

This Caldecott Medal winner from prolific children’s book author and illustrator Gail E. Haley is steeped in colorful African and Caribbean language and folklore. It is the legendary tale of Kwaku Ananse - the spider man - and how he bargained with Nyame the Sky God to give his treasure of stories to the world.

Jummy has won a place at the River School, the finest girls' boarding school in Nigeria. Nothing can dampen her spirits, not even when she learns that her best friend Caro won’t be joining her. By the Shine-Shine River, school is everything Jummy dreamt of, with friendly new girls, midnight feasts and sporting prizes—but when Caro suddenly arrives at the school to work, not to learn, Jummy must bring all her friends together to help.

In this humorous Masai tale, Rabbit can't get into her house because "The Long One", hiding inside, threatens to trample her just as he tramples elephants. A solution comes from an unexpected source.

The Usurper: and Other Stories is an engaging collection that cuts through race, culture, religion, and creed. These short stories portray a unique perspective of traditional African life in the context of the modern world: 1. The son of a prince maneuvers his way to become the new king. Is he of royal blood? (The Usurper). 2. A reputable juju buckles under the threat of a mad cow, despite his powers to crush anything and anybody on its path. (Ngoko's Folly). 3. A clan head abuses his position and squanders the wealth that has been passed down from generation to generation until his angry ...

In June of 2002, a mere nine months since the September 11 attacks, a very unusual ceremony begins in a far-flung village in Western Kenya. An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed upon the American men, women, and children, and he is there to accept it. The gift is as unexpected as it is extraordinary. Hearts are raw as these legendary Maasai warriors offer their gift to a grieving people half a world away. Word of the gift will travel newswires around the globe.

In Traveling without Moving, Coleman shares intimate essays from her life: her childhood in Chicago—growing up in poverty with four siblings and a single mother—and the empowering decision to leave her first marriage. She writes about being the only Black student in a prestigious and predominantly White creative writing program, about institutional racism and implicit bias in writing instruction, about the violent legacies of racism in the US housing market, about the maternal health disparities seen across the country and their implication in her own miscarriage.

Biomes are home to unique animals and plants. Introduce beginning listeners to the African savanna biome! Listeners will learn about the characteristics of the land and weather and how zebras, lions, giraffes, and other animals have adapted to life in this amazing biome.

Explore the many facets of your identity through hundreds of big and small questions. In this affirmations audiobook created for Black girls, M. J. Fievre tackles topics such as family and friends, school and careers, body image, and stereotypes. By reflecting on these themes, you confront the issues that can hold you back from discovering your inner Black joy. Embrace authenticity and celebrate who you are. Finding the courage to live as you are is not easy, so Badass Black Girl is designed to help you nurture creativity and positive self-awareness.

In stunning verse, Erica Martin's debut poetry collection walks readers through the Civil Rights Movement - from the well-documented events that shaped the nation’s treatment of Black people, beginning with the "Separate but Equal" ruling - and introduces lesser-known figures and moments that were just as crucial to the Movement and our nation's centuries-long fight for justice and equality.

Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba is the true story of a girl who had a difficult birth, but went on to become the Queen of two ancient African kingdoms. Revered for her wisdom, courage, and strength, Njinga became a dominant political figure in Angola in the 1600s. This children’s book tells her story and the challenges she faced from the day she was born. Njinga must overcome the jealousy of her brother, the loss of her father, and the encroachment of the Portuguese at the dawn of a time of great trial for the African continent.