All blood runs red : the legendary life of Eugene Bullard--boxer, pilot, soldier, spy
by Philip A Keith

Describes the life of the first African-American military pilot to fly in combat, the son of a former slave, who left the racial tensions of Georgia for Europe and became a celebrated boxer before the war. 

Black radical : the life and times of William Monroe Trotter
by Kerri Greenidge

A portrait of the lesser-known, turn-of-the-20th-century civil rights activist explores how he used his influence as an emancipator and the editor of the Guardian to promote gradualist politics and rally black working-class Americans throughout the post-Reconstruction era. 

42 today : Jackie Robinson and his legacy
by Michael G. Long

Before the United States Supreme Court ruled against segregation in public schools, and before Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, Jackie Robinson walked onto the diamond on April 15, 1947, as first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, making history as the first African American to integrate Major League Baseball in the twentieth century. Today a national icon, Robinson was a complicated man who navigated an even more complicated world that both celebrated and despised him.
Many are familiar with Robinson as a baseball hero. Few, however, know of the inner turmoil that came with his historic status.  Featuring a foreword by celebrated directors and producers Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon, this volume recasts Jackie Robinson's legacy and establishes how he set a precedent for future civil rights activism, from Black Lives Matter to Colin Kaepernick.

His truth is marching on : John Lewis and the power of hope
by Jon Meacham

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hope of Glory presents a timely portrait of veteran congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis that details the life experiences that informed his faith and shaped his practices of non-violent protest. 

Ida B. the queen : the extraordinary life and legacy of Ida B. Wells
by Michelle Duster

Written by her great-granddaughter, a historical portrait of the boundary-breaking civil rights pioneer includes coverage of Wells’s early years as a slave, her famous acts of resistance and her achievements as a journalist and anti-lynching activist. 

James Baldwin : living in fire
by Bill Mullen

In the first major biography of Baldwin in more than a decade, Bill V. Mullen celebrates the personal and political life of the great African-American writer who changed the face of Western politics and culture. As a lifelong anti-imperialist, black queer advocate, and feminist, Baldwin (1924-1987) was a passionate chronicler of the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the U.S. war against Vietnam, Palestinian liberation struggle, and the rise of LGBTQ rights. Mullen explores how Baldwin's life and work channel the long history of African-American freedom struggles, and explains how Baldwin both predicted and has become a symbol of the global Black Lives Matter movement. 

Lorraine Hansberry : the life behind A raisin in the sun
by Charles J. Shields

This authoritative biography of one of the 20th century’s most admired playwrights who penned A Raisin in the Sun examines the parts of her life that have escaped public knowledge, including her struggle with class, sexuality and race. .

Madam C.J. Walker : the making of an American icon
by Erica Ball

Madam C.J. Walker--reputed to be America's first self-made woman millionaire--has long been celebrated for her rags-to-riches story. In this biography, Erica L. Ball places this remarkable and largely forgotten life story in the context of Walker's times.

A man called Horse : John Horse and the Black Seminole Underground Railroad
by Glennette Tilley Turner

Focusing on the little-known life of the Black Seminole warrior, chief and diplomat, and drawing on oral histories of his descendants, this meticulously researched and vetted biography reveals a man who fought tirelessly to help his people survive. 

Mighty justice : the untold story of civil rights trailblazer Dovey Johnson Roundtree
by Jabari Asim

Complemented by black-and-white photos, a young readers’ adaptation of the acclaimed memoir by the late civil rights activist recounts her upbringing in Jim Crow-era North Carolina and her fight for equality and justice in America’s military environments, churches and courtrooms. 

My brother, Muhammad Ali : the definitive biography
by Rahaman Ali

Muhammad Ali's brother recounts the boxing legend's life, offering an insider's perspective from someone who saw the man at his best and his worst.

Odetta : a life in music and protest
by Ian Zack

A portrait of the music artist credited as the “Voice of the Civil Rights Movement” traces Odetta’s early life in deeply segregated Alabama through her famed performances in major cities, demonstrating how she combated racism through her powerful lyrics.

Singled out : the true story of Glenn Burke
by Andrew Maraniss

A photograph-complemented early biography documents the remarkable life of the lesser-known Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, sharing insight into how Glenn Burke navigated painful obstacles to break barriers for LGBTQ+ athletes, inventing the “high five” along the way. 

White Lies : The Double Life of Walter F. White and America's Darkest Secret
by A. J. Baime

This first character study of a little-known Black civil rights leader who passed for white reveals a man fraught by internal and external conflict as he leveraged this ambiguity as a reporter, changing the racial identity of America forever. 

With her fist raised : Dorothy Pitman Hughes and the transformative power of black community activism
by Laura L. Lovett

The author of Conceiving the Future chronicles the life and achievements of trailblazing Black feminist Dorothy Pitman Hughes, discussing her work at the side of Gloria Steinem, revitalization of her West Side neighborhood and Vietnam War activism.