This Black History Month we are celebrating Black authors that have made their mark in the literary space. We all know that words have power, and the following 10 Black authors have made history with theirs. These poets, playwrights, novelists, and scholars, have used their words to help capture the voice of a nation and inspire change. While experiencing racism and violence, they turned their pain and fear into art, and still found room to write about joy, love, and music in the midst of unjust circumstances. We honor these authors and their impact on literature and the world.
Here are 10 Black Authors That Made History With Their Words!
2Maya Angelou
Renowned author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet, and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou is known for her numerous poetry and essay collections. She made literary history with her first autobiographical work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, becoming the first African-American author with a nonfiction best-seller. Throughout her five-decade-long career, she received many accomplishments including, two NAACP Image Awards in 2005 and 2009, a Grammy award for her poem “Phenomenal Woman” in 1995, and a Pulitzer Prize nomination for writing and scoring the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia, which made her the first Black woman to write a screenplay for a major film release. In 1993 Angelou recited her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, making her the first female inaugural poet in U.S. presidential history. Angelou has received more than 30 honorary degrees and has been inducted into the Wake Forest University Hall of Fame for Writers. In 2010 President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United State’s highest civilian honor.
Notable Works: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Heart of a Woman, A Song Flung Up to Heaven, “Phenomenal Woman,” “And Still I Rise,”
