Letters from Black America
February 09, 2011
For Black History Month, read an excerpt from a book that tells the story of African American history through their own letters
Letters from Black America, edited by Pamela Newkirk, fills a literary and historical void by presenting the spectrum of African American experience in the most intimate way possible-through the heartfelt correspondence of those who lived through monumental changes and pivotal events, from the American Revolution to the war in Iraq, from slavery to the election of Obama.
In this excerpt, you can read the words of enslaved people reaching out to family members, the love letters a devoted young couple wrote to each other during their engagement, a note from W. E. B. Du Bois to his teenage daughter, and Alice Walker's letter to President-elect Barack Obama, written the day after his election.
Letters from Black America, edited by Pamela Newkirk, excerpt