I think what really makes this book stand out is that it is an excellent, highly accessible introduction to Black history. It’s a comprehensive resource for those interested in learning about a wide array of topics in Black history from prehistoric times into the present.

I am a historian, so for me my first line of inquiry is often primary sources. For instance, when I wrote about Louisiana’s Code Noir, I went straight to the original law itself. Next, I consulted secondary texts on the subject from leading scholars in the field to see what impact the code had on everyday people in Louisiana. I used a similar process for all the topics I wrote about. I consulted a mixture of primary and secondary sources, such as official websites, newspapers, historical texts, images, legal code, and more.  

I mostly chose to write about topics that were directly related to my own research areas, such as The African Diaspora or Black Lives Matter. However, I also decided to choose topics that I don’t necessarily research but wanted to learn more about, such as Nat Turner’s Rebellion or color-blind policies in France. 

Something that surprised me in doing research for this book was about Louisiana’s Code Noir. I knew that it in some ways gave greater rights to enslaved people in French colonies than its British counterpart. And some of its rules were even seen as advantageous, but I did not know that it forbade slaveholders from forcing enslaved people into marriage against their will. That was a new discovery for me.