9 Essential YA Nonfiction Books About Black History

Written in verse, this stunningly beautiful poetry collection walks readers through the Civil Rights Movement. It covers well-known events such as the “separate but equal ruling” as well as covering lesser known activists whose stories you haven’t heard before. Highlighting these less famous moments helps readers understand that even small actions can be pivotal to change. Not only telling stories through poetry, but this collection has historical photographs, author’s note, chronology of events, research, and sources listed as well.

This is an illustrated history of the Great Migration and its impact on Black and American culture, from Reconstruction to the rise of hip hop. Over 60 years, Black Americans left, en masse, from the south. The Great Migration completely shifted demographics and made huge cultural changes in 20th century America. Focusing on a period of history often overlooked, Blair Imani examines how this move affected, and continues to affect, Black identity and America as a whole.

In 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze Olympic medalists, protested on their podiums during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics by raising black-gloved fists to bring awareness to racial injustice inflicted on African Americans. In his first memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his life leading up to his historic victory and Olympic podium protest. Both athletes were forced to leave the Olympics, faced ostracism, received death threats, and suffered economic hardships as a result of their protest. Derrick Barnes, Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient, works with Smith to cowrite the graphic novel.

Carol Anderson’s White Rage swept the nation and became an instant best seller. Now reworked for a younger audience, Anderson is back to explain the backlash from the system whenever feels like any racial justice progress has been made. She highlights five pivotal historical moments that illustrate her point: the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction met by Jim Crow laws; the optimism of the Great Migration limited when Black people were physically blocked from moving; Brown v. Board of Education greeted with the shutting down of public schools throughout the South; the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act leading to new restrictive voting laws and the War on Drugs that disproportionally targeted Black people; and the election of President Obama proceeding violent outbursts, including the death of Michael Brown and the election of Donald Trump.

Part memoir, part history narrative, Wake tells the real role of women during slave revolts throughout America and on slave ships during the Middle Passage. Rebecca Hall’s journey takes her through slave ship captain’s logs, disintegrating letters, old court records, and and even forensic evidence from the bones of enslaved women from the negro burying ground uncovered in Manhattan. Enslaved women warriors are having their stories told and beautifully illustrated in black and white even though the world has tried to forget them.

This book gives the history of The Green Book, or the “Black travel guide to America,” which was published from 1936 to 1966 for Black travelers. During segregation, it was dangerous for African Americans to travel across their own country, because Black travelers couldn’t eat, sleep, or get gas at most white-owned businesses. It was dangerous for Black business owners to be listed in the Green Book, since they could easily be targeted by violent racist groups. Overground Railroad tells the stories of the courageous individuals who took a stand against racial segregation and deserve to be archived and celebrated. In this young reader’s edition, there are photographs and interviews with people who owned and used these establishments.