Born February 27, Dr. Samella Lewis was known as the “Godmother of African American Art.” She was an artist, art historian and scholar. A few of her books:
365 Black Books Angelina Weld Grimke Tuesday
Born February 25, Angelina Weld Grimke was a poet, playwright, and teacher. She is best known for her play, Rachel, which was performed in 1916 in Washington, DC. Some of her poems are included in several anthologies.
365 Black Books George Schuyler Monday
Born February 25, George Schuyler was American writer, journalist, and social commentary. He was known for the book, Black No More.
365 Black Books Sadeqa Johnson Sunday
Sadeqa Johnson came to Detroit Public Library to talk about her book, Keeper of the Lost Children. The story is centered around three characters who are somehow connected to an orphanage in Germany. History is interwoven as the readers learn about an orphanage that took care of mixed race children (white German women, African American men officers) in occupied Germany. In her talk, Ms. Johnson mentioned a documentary film titled Brown Babies which tells the stories of unwanted biracial and bicultural children.
365 Black Books W.E.B. Du Bois Saturday
W.E.B. Du Bois is another author born on February 23. Author of the classic, The Souls of Black Folk, Dr. Du Bois continued writing many more books on African Americans. Read more about this scholarly professor, writer, and civil rights activist here.
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Day 28 Kevin Johnson, author of Cape
Read about Kevin Johnson’s writing process and pathway to publishing here.
365 Black Books Claude Brown Friday
Also born on February 23, Claude Brown, author of the classic Manchild in the Promised Land. He passed away in 2002. Before his death, he wrote three more books. Read more about this author here.
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Day 27 Asia Simone, illustrator for Moon Girl, Wreck and Roll, and Pack Your Bags, Maggie Diaz
Read about this illustrator’s process and journey here.
365 Black Books Ruby Duncan Thursday
I saw a documentary film at my local library branch. The film, titled “Storming Caesar’s Palace,” documents black women who organized and literally stormed Caesar’s Palace to protest the lack of welfare funds for black women. The film was based on the book by the same title.
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Day 26: Ebony Lynn Mudd, author of Just Like Tina
Read about Ebony Lynn Mudd’s journey of writing and publishing here.
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 