History
Black Dance in the United States from 1619 to 1970
Lynne Fauley Emery
A historical survey traces Black dance across social, theatrical, and professional settings.
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Search the shelves by title, writer, subject, period, or connection to the Lyric.
11 books
Music history
Blues People
Amiri Baraka
Baraka reads changes in Black music alongside changes in work, migration, and social life.
History
From Slavery to Freedom
John Hope Franklin
A broad historical survey provides context for the institutions and struggles behind local stories.
History
Heart and Soul
Kadir Nelson
A family-story voice and paintings guide readers through major chapters in African American history.
Biography
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
Vashti Harrison
Brief illustrated profiles introduce Black women whose work changed science, arts, and public life.
History
Stamped from the Beginning
Ibram X. Kendi
Five historical figures provide points of entry into changing ideas about race and their political uses.
History
The 1619 Project
Nikole Hannah-Jones
Essays, poems, and fiction explore slavery’s place in American institutions and historical memory.
Reference
The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia
Gerald L. Smith, Karen Cotton McDaniel, John A. Hardin
A reference work brings together people, institutions, and events in Black Kentucky history.
History
The Negro in the Making of America
Benjamin Quarles
Quarles traces African American participation in the making of American political and social institutions.
Folklore
The People Could Fly
Virginia Hamilton
A collection of African American folktales includes animal stories, tales of magic, and stories of escape.
Picture book
The Undefeated
Kwame Alexander
A poem and illustrations honor Black achievement, endurance, and lives that public memory can overlook.