Letters from Black America

Pamela Newkirk

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Feb 3, 2009 - History - 400 pages

Letters from Black America fills a literary and historical void by presenting the pantheon of African American experience in the most intimate way possible—through the heartfelt correspondence of the men and women who lived through monumental changes and pivotal events, from the 1700s to the twenty-first century, from slavery to the war in Iraq.

The first-ever narrative history of African Americans told through their own letters, this book includes the thoughts of politicians, writers, and entertainers, as well as those of slaves, servicemen, and domestic workers. From a slave who writes to his wife on the eve of being sold to famous documents like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," these writings illuminate struggles and triumphs, hardships and glory, in the unforgettable words of the participants themselves. Letters from Black America is an indispensable addition to our country's literary tradition, historical understanding, and self-knowledge.

Contents

• Courtship and Romance: 59
• Politics and Social Justice: 87
• Education and the Art of Scholarship: 173
• War: 225
• Art and Culture: 265
• Across the Diaspora: 319
• Acknowledgments: 351
• Index: 353

About the author

Pamela Newkirk is the editor of A Love No Less and the author of Within the Veil, which won the National Press Club Award for Media Criticism. She is an award-winning journalist and an associate professor of journalism at New York University.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Letters from Black America
• Editor: Pamela Newkirk
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009
• ISBN: 1429934832, 9781429934831
• Length: 400 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / General; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies