The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is dedicated to researching, preserving, and exhibiting materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences.
Located at 515 Malcolm X Blvd in Harlem, they are closed right now for in-person visits but have been putting together many digital resources to continue educating and sharing important information with the public. In response to the demonstrations all over the world demanding justice for Black lives, the research center has created three extensive Black Liberation Reading Lists, which the Library has re-shared as another way to celebrate Juneteenth today.
“The titles on the list represent books we and the public turn to regularly as activists, students, archivists, and curators, with a particular focus on books by Black authors and those whose papers we steward,” they shared.
The lists are each for different ages groups:
Here’s a sample of the adult list:
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American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin By Terrance Hayes
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The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story By Edwidge Danticat
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X By Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
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Between the World and Me By Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Bad Feminist: Essays By Roxane Gay
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A Black Women’s History of the United States By Daina Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross
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The Bluest Eye: A Novel By Toni Morrison
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Breathe: A Letter to My Sons By Imani Perry
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A Brief History of Seven Killings: A Novel By Marlon James
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Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberati By Leah Penniman
You can even download the reading lists here and keep track of when you finish each book. Many are also available on the library’s SimplyE e-reader app, available on iOS and Android.
Let’s get reading!
See also: 10 Books To Invest In Now That Will Help Educate You On Systemic Racism
featured image source: Instagram / @nypl