Why am I passionate about this?

I first learned about Fannie Lou Hamer more than a decade ago, and I have been deeply inspired by her life story and her words. I didnā€™t initially think I would write a book about her. But the uprisings of 2020 motivated me to do so. Like so many people, I struggled to make sense of everything that was unfolding, and I began to question whether change was possible. The more I read Hamerā€™s words, the more clarity I found. Her vision for the world and her commitment to improving conditions for all people gave me a renewed sense of hope and purpose.


I wrote

Book cover of Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America

What is my book about?

A blend of social commentary, biography, and intellectual history, Until I Am Free is a manifesto for anyone committedā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision

Keisha N. Blain Why did I love this book?

This is a book that inspired me as a historian and in my approach to activism. Barbara Ransbyā€™s biography of Ella Baker excavates the activistā€™s life, placing the reader at the nexus of some of the most important moments in civil rights history. Ella Bakerā€™s life also provides a blueprint for local activism and group-centered leadership. Itā€™s a compelling story of how Ella Baker became a mentor, inspiring, listening to, and supporting local activists. 

By Barbara Ransby,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most important African American leaders of the twentieth century and perhaps the most influential woman in the civil rights movement, Ella Baker (1903-1986) was an activist whose remarkable career spanned fifty years and touched thousands of lives. In this deeply researched biography, Barbara Ransby chronicles Baker's long and rich political career as an organizer, an intellectual, and a teacher, from her early experiences in depression-era Harlem to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Ransby paints a vivid picture of the African American fight for justice and its intersections with other progressive struggles worldwide acrossā€¦


Book cover of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Keisha N. Blain Why did I love this book?

Jeanne Theoharisā€™s work takes on the mainstream narrative of the civil rights movement by highlighting Rosa Parksā€™ long career as an activist and her commitment to racial equality. Her scholarship provides a window into Parksā€™ interior life, providing greater depth to a historical figure whose contribution is often reduced to a single actā€”refusing to give up her seat on a bus. The book offers a nuanced and well-rounded perspective on Black womenā€™s lives. I strive to do the same in my own work.

By Jeanne Theoharis,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The basis for the documentary of the same name executive produced by award-winning journalist Soledad Oā€™Brien. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks premieres on Peacock on October 19.

2014 NAACP Image Award Winner: Outstanding Literary Workā€“Biography/Autobiography
 
2013 Letitia Woods Brown Award from the Association of Black Women Historians

Choice Top 25 Academic Titles for 2013

The definitive political biography of Rosa Parks examines her six decades of activism, challenging perceptions of her as an accidental actor in the civil rights movement.

This revised edition includes a new introduction by the author, who reflects on materials in the Rosa Parksā€¦


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Book cover of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Secret St. Augustine by Elizabeth Randall, William Randall,

Tourists and local residents of St. Augustine will enjoy reading about the secret wonders of their ancient city that are right under their noses. Of course, that includes a few stray corpses and ghosts!

Book cover of The Struggle Is Eternal: Gloria Richardson and Black Liberation

Keisha N. Blain Why did I love this book?

Joseph Fitzgeraldā€™s powerful biography highlights the work and activism of Gloria Richardson. Her leadership of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee demonstrated not only her commitment to human rights, but also her willingness to embrace alternatives to nonviolent tactics. Fitzgerald delves into Richardsonā€™s beliefs and strategies to capture her efforts to build a grassroots movement.

By Joseph R. Fitzgerald,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Struggle Is Eternal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Many prominent and well-known figures greatly impacted the civil rights movement, but one of the most influential and unsung leaders of that period was Gloria Richardson. As the leader of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee (CNAC), a multifaceted liberation campaign formed to target segregation and racial inequality in Cambridge, Maryland, Richardson advocated for economic justice and tactics beyond nonviolent demonstrations. Her philosophies and strategies -- including her belief that black people had a right to self--defense -- were adopted, often without credit, by a number of civil rights and black power leaders and activists. The Struggle Is Eternal: Gloria Richardsonā€¦


Book cover of A Voice That Could Stir an Army: Fannie Lou Hamer and the Rhetoric of the Black Freedom Movement

Keisha N. Blain Why did I love this book?

Maegan Parker Brooksā€™ work on Fannie Lou Hamer was indispensable as I wrote my book. A Voice That Could Stir an Army focuses on Hamerā€™s use of rhetorical symbols and her public persona in a way that helps elevate Hamerā€™s legacy and demonstrates the importance of rhetoric to social movements. Brooks has helped bring Hamerā€™s words and ideas to a broader audience.

By Maegan Parker Brooks,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Voice That Could Stir an Army as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A sharecropper, a warrior, and a truth-telling prophet, Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) stands as a powerful symbol not only of the 1960s black freedom movement, but also of the enduring human struggle against oppression. A Voice That Could Stir an Army is a rhetorical biography that tells the story of Hamer's life by focusing on how she employed symbols - images, words, and even material objects such as the ballot, food, and clothing - to construct persuasive public personae, to influence audiences, and to effect social change. Drawing upon dozens of newly recovered Hamer texts and recent interviews with Hamer'sā€¦


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Book cover of The Constant Tower

The Constant Tower by Carole McDonnell,

This is a multicultural epic fantasy with a diverse cast of characters. Sickly fifteen-year-old Prince Psal, the son of warrior-king Nahas, should have been named Crown Prince of all Wheel Clan lands. But his clan disdains the disabled.

When the mysterious self-moving towers that keep humans safe from the Creator'sā€¦

Book cover of Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality

Keisha N. Blain Why did I love this book?

Constance Baker Motleyā€™s role within the Civil Rights Movement had not received the recognition it deserved until Tomiko Brown-Naginā€™s Civil Rights Queen. Brown-Nagin reconstructs Motleyā€™s life and pushes readers to consider the activist and legal career of the first Black woman appointed as a federal judge. As a writer who is especially interested in studying Black working-class women, I appreciate the authorā€™s close attention to how Motleyā€™s life from a working-class background to her position as a judge of the Southern District of New York.

By Tomiko Brown-Nagin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Civil Rights Queen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With the US Supreme Court confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, ā€œit makes sense to revisit the life and work of another Black woman who profoundly shaped the law: Constance Baker Motleyā€ (CNN). The first major biography of one of our most influential judgesā€”an activist lawyer who became the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciaryā€”that provides an eye-opening account of the twin struggles for gender equality and civil rights in the 20th Century.

ā€œA must-read for anyone who dares to believe that equal justice under the law is possible and is in search of a model for how toā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Book cover of Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America

What is my book about?

A blend of social commentary, biography, and intellectual history, Until I Am Free is a manifesto for anyone committed to social justice. The book challenges us to listen to a working-poor and disabled Black woman activist and intellectual of the civil rights movement as we grapple with contemporary concerns around race, inequality, and social justice.

Award-winning historian and New York Times best-selling author Keisha N. Blain situates Fannie Lou Hamer as a key political thinker alongside leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks and demonstrates how her ideas remain salient for a new generation of activists committed to dismantling systems of oppression in the United States and across the globe.

Book cover of Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision
Book cover of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Book cover of The Struggle Is Eternal: Gloria Richardson and Black Liberation

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