"Explores the challenges of subjective passing narratives written during the height of literary realism. Discusses racial and ethnic differences, assimilation, passing, and identity by comparing African-American narratives of James Johnson, Nella Larson, and George Schuyler and "white" ethnic (Jewish-American and Italian-American) narratives by Mary Antin, Anzia Yezierska, and Guido d'Agostino"--Provided by publisher.

In this film four prominent African-American writers each narrate a period in the life of the sociologist and author, W.E.B. Du Bois, and describe his impact on their work. They chronicle Du Bois' role as a founder of the NAACP, organizer of the first Pan-African Congress, editor of Crisis, a journal of the black cultural renaissance, and author of a series of landmark sociological studies. Anathematized during the McCarthy years, Du Bois immigrated...

Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her poem, "Still I Rise," Angelou was able to lift herself out of her situation and flourish. She moved to California and became the first black and first female streetcar operator before following her interest in dance. She became a professional performer in her twenties and...

"Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and has been friendzoned by Hollywood, left Chicago, and moved into a house with a garden that requires repairs and know-how with her wife in a Blue town in the middle of a Red state where she now hosts book clubs and makes mason...

Examines the life of the African-Amerian poet, from her childhood in the segregated South to her rise to prominence as a writer.

A 1930s African jungle safari as recorded in the journal of Ernest Hemingway describes the glory of the landscape while bringing to life the story of a land under threat of human incursion.

"This unforgettable picture book introduces young readers to the life and work of Maya Angelou, whose words have uplifted and inspired generations of readers. The author of the celebrated autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya was the first Black person and first woman to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration, and her influence echoes through culture and history. She was also the first Black woman to appear on the United States...