Black Lives

BLACK LIVES

Pairing highly qualified writers with subjects whose lives illuminate the breadth, diversity, and richness of Black experiences, the Black Lives series produces brief, authoritative biographies of individuals of African descent who profoundly shaped history.

New Releases

Web Exclusives

John Lewis’s Quest for the “Beloved Community”

February 21, 2024

John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community is the first full-length biography of civil rights hero and congressman John Lewis. Author Raymond Arsenault talks with us about his research… READ MORE

Honoring Black Histories and Experiences

February 2, 2024

Black History Month, or African-American History Month, was proposed in February of 1969 by students at Kent State University. Later to be federally recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976,… READ MORE

Ep. 110 — Historian of Abolition R. J. M. Blackett on Samuel Ringgold Ward

May 8, 2023

This episode of our podcast features a conversation with historian R.J.M. Blackett about the 19th century newspaper editor, Congregational minister, and temperance advocate Samuel Ringgold Ward. Despite Ward’s prominent role in the… READ MORE

Derby History is Black History

May 5, 2023

Katherine C. Mooney— In the spring of 1955, the new Sports Illustrated made a bold choice and retained William Faulkner to cover the Kentucky Derby. The ’55 Derby turned out… READ MORE

My Book

March 28, 2023

R. J. M. Blackett— A box of my most recent book arrived on the last day of Black History Month. It seemed only fitting as it is a biography of… READ MORE

Support the Series

Learn more about how you can make a gift to support the publications within the Black Lives series.