Principal Kafele's List of Recommended Black Authored Books for Educators of Black Children

Educators are always looking for resources to enhance their practice in their respective roles in schools. Educators are also always looking for very specific information for very specific challenges. I am frequently asked by teachers of diverse racial / ethnic backgrounds for additional resources toward motivating, engaging and empowering the African American learners in their classroom who may be underperforming. I consequently developed the list of books and authors below over the years to meet that need. It is by no means a comprehensive list but it is more than a great start for any educator looking to take their African American students to much higher levels of achievement in a true equity-based learning environment. Take a look.

African History

1. Black Man of the Nile – Yosef ben-Jochannan
2. Introduction to African Civilizations – John G. Jackson
3. The African Origins of Civilization – Cheik Anta Diop
4. The Cultural Unity of Black Africa – Cheik Anta Diop
5. Stolen Legacy – George G. M. James
6. Destruction of Black Civilization – Chancellor Williams
7. World’s Great Men of Color, Vols. I and II – J. A. Rogers
8. Sex and Race, Vols. I-III – J. A. Rogers
9. Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization – Anthony T. Browder
10. Nile Valley Civilizations – Ivan Van Sertima

African American History

1. Before the Mayflower – Lerone Bennett, Jr.
2. From Slavery to Freedom – John Hope Franklin
3. Notes For An African World Revolution – John Henrik Clarke
4. African American History: A Journey to Liberation – Molefi K. Asante
5. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa – Walter Rodney
6. They Came Before Columbus – Ivan Van Sertima
7. Blacks in Science – Ivan Van Sertima
8. Black Inventors of America – McKinley Burt, Jr.
9. Great Negroes: Past and Present – Russell Adams
10. Introduction to Black Studies – Maulana Karenga
11. What They Never Told You in History Class – Kush
12. The Black Holocaust for Beginners – Sam Anderson
13. Peculiar Institution – Kenneth Stampp
14. Africa’s Gift to America – J. A. Rogers
15. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey – Amy Jacques Garvey
16. Marcus Garvey, Hero – Tony Martin
17. Marcus Garvey and the Vision of Africa – John Henrik Clarke
18. Up From Slavery – Booker T. Washington
19. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass – Frederick Douglass
20. Harriet Tubman – Ann Petry
21. Autobiography of W. E. B. DuBois
22. Autobiography of Malcolm X – Alex Haley
23. Malcolm X Speaks – George Brietman
24. Malcolm X, The Man and His Times – John Henrik Clarke
25. King, A Biography – David Lewis

African American Education

1. Miseducation of the Negro – Carter G. Woodson
2. Afrocentricity – Molefi Kete Asante
3. Black Students Guide to Positive Education – Zak Kondo
4. Issues in African American Education – Walter Gill
5. For the Children – Madeline Cartwright
6. Africa Counts – Claudia Zaslavsky
7. SBA: The Reawakening of the African Mind – Asa G. Hilliard III
8. Maroons Within Us – Asa G. Hilliard III
9. Young, Gifted and Black – Asa G. Hilliard III, Theresa Perry, Claude Steele
10. Infusion of African and African American Content in the School Curriculum – Asa G. Hilliard III, Lucretia Payton-Stewart, Larry Obadele Williams
11. The Failure of Public Education in the Black Community – Anyim Palmer
12. How to Transform Your Inner City School and Raise Student Achievement - Shawn Hurt
13. The Crisis and Challenge of Black Mis-Education in America – Gyasi A. Foluke
14. African-Centered Schooling in Theory and Practice – Diane S. Pollard
15. The Education of Black People – W.E.B. DuBois and Herbert Aptheker
16. Going to School: the African American Experience – Kofi Lomotey
17. Nationbuilding: Theory and practice in Afrikan-centered education – Kwame Agyei Akoto
18. Too Much Schooling, Too Little Education – Mwalimu J. Shujaa
19. Sailing Against the Wind: African Americans and Women in U.S. Education – Kofi Lometey
20. Educating Our Black Children: New Directions and Radical Approaches – Richard Majors
21. Unbank the Fire: Visions for the Education of African American Children – Janice E. Hale
22. The White Architects of Black Education: Ideology and Power in America, 1865-1954 – William H. Watkins
23. Improving Schools for African American Students: A Reader for Educational Leaders – Sheryl Denbo
24. Yurugu: An African-Centered Critique of European Cultural Thought and Behavior – Marimba Ani
25. African-Centered Pedagogy:Developing Schools of Achievement for African American Children – Peter C. Murrell, Jr.
26. Reversing Underachievement Among Gifted Black Students – Donna Y. Ford
27. Center Shift: An African-Centered Approach for the Multi-Cultural Curriculum – Joan D. Ratteray
28. Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria – Beverly Daniel Tatum
29. We Want To Do More Than  Survive - Bettina Love
30. Learning to Survive: Black Youth Look for Education and Hope – Atron A. Gentry
31. A Black Parent’s Handbook to Educating Your Children (Outside of the Classroom) – Baruti K. Kafele

Teaching African American Children

1. A Handbook for Teachers of African American Children – Baruti K. Kafele
2. A Talk With Jawanza – Jawanza Kunjufu
3. Black Students/Middle Class Teachers – Jawanza Kunjufu
4. Black Children – Janice Hale
5. Learning While Black – Janice Hale
6. Marva Collins Way – Marva Collins
7. Ordinary Children/Extraordinary Teachers – Marva Collins
8. I Choose To Stay – Salome Thomas-El
9. Black Teachers on Teaching – Michele Foster
10. From Rage to Hope: Strategies for Reclaiming Black and Hispanic Students – Crystal Kuykendall
11. African-Centered Interdisciplinary Multi Level Hands-On Science – Bernida Thompson
12. Positive Afrikan Images for Children (Social Studies Curriculum) – Red Sea Press
13. African American Children: A Self-Empowering Approach to Modifying Behavior Problems and Preventing Academic Failure – Carolyn M. Tucker
14. Heritage – Joyce Jarrett
15. How to Teach Math to Black Students – Shahid Muhammad
16. Motivating / Inspiring African American Children
17. Awakening the Natural Genius of Black Children – Amos N. Wilson
18. Developing Positive Self-Images and Discipline in Black Children – Jawanza Kunjufu
19. To Be Popular or Smart: The Black Peer Group – Jawanza Kunjufu
20. Motivating and Preparing Black Youth for Success – Jawanza Kunjufu
21. Harvesting New Generations: The Positive Development of Black Youth – Useni E. Perkins
22. Doing It My Way: Decision-Making for College Students – Matt Stevens
23. Doing It My Way: A Decision-Making Workbook for Today’s Youth – Matt Stevens
24. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflicts in the Classroom – Lisa Delpit
25. Culturally Responsive Teaching – Geneva Gay
26. Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children – Gloria Ladson-Billings
27. Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy - Gholdy Muhammad
28. Do You Know Enough About Me to Teach Me? A Student's Perspective - Stephen G. Peters
29. Overcoming the Achievement Gap Trap - Anthony Muhammad
30. Honoring Ancestral Obligations - Chike Akua
31. For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood...and the Rest of Y'all Too - Chris Emdin
32. Recruiting and Retaining Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education - Donna Y. Ford
33. Becoming the Educators They Need - Robert Jackson
34. The Athletic Trap - Craig Boykin
35. Even on  Your Worst Day You Can Be a Students Best Hope - Manuel Scott

Connecting With African American Males

1. Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life – Baruti K. Kafele
2. Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys, Vols. I-IV – Jawanza Kunjufu
3. Keeping Black Boys Out of Special Education – Jawanza Kunjufu
4. Raising Black Boys – Jawanza Kunjufu
5. State of Emergency: We Must Save African American Males – Jawanza Kunjufu
6. Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement Gap – Alfred W.Tatum
7. Bringing the Black Boy to Manhood: The Hare Plan – Nathan and Julia Hare
8. Educating African American Males: Detroit’s Malcolm X Academy Solution – Clifford Watson & Geneva Smitherman
9. Educating African American Males: Voices From the Field – Edited by Olatokunbo S. Fashola
10. Educating Black Males: Critical Lessons in Schooling, Community and Power – Ronnie Hopkins
11. Coming of Age – Paul Hill
12. A Dark Journey to a Light Future - Tommie Mabry
13. The Diary of an Emotionally Constipated Man - William "Flip" Clay
14. The Burning House - Desmond Williams
15. African American Males in School and Society – Vernon C. Polite
16. Practical Application of Social Learning Theories in Educating Young African American Males – George R. Taylor
17. Curriculum Strategies: Social Skills Intervention for Young African Males – George R. Taylor
18. Kill Them Before They Grow: The Misdiagnosis of African American Boys in America’s Classrooms – Michael Porter
19. The Trouble with Black Boys – Pedro A. Noguera
20. Wake Up Young Black Males – Steve Johnson
21. “Yo, Little Brother…”: Basic Rules of Survival for Young African American Males – Anthony Davis & Jeffrey Jackson
22. The Warrior Method – Raymond A. Winbush
23. Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity – Ann Arnett Ferguson
24. Letters to a Young Brother – Hill Harper
25. Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males – Hrabowski, III; Maton & Greif
26. Young, Black and Male in America: An Endangered Species – Edited by Jewelle Taylor Gibbs
27. The Estrangement of Black Male Youth From a Teacher’s Perspective – Jerald McNair
28. Empowering African American Males – Michael Wynn
29. Teaching, Parenting and Mentoring Successful Black Males – Michael Wynn
30. African Centered Rites of Passage and Education – Lathardus Goggins II

Psychology

1. Developmental Psychology of the Black Child – Amos N. Wilson
2. Chains and Images of Psychological Slavery – Na’im Akbar
3. African-Centered Psychology: Cultural Focusing for Multi-Cultural Competence – Daudi Ajani Ya Azibo
4. Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder – Omar Reid, Sekou Mims, Larry Higginbottom
5. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome – Joy DeGruy Leary