20 Essential Books on Black History Everyone Needs to Read

We all know the old saying: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Our past is a part of us, and ignoring it won't cure the terrible things our ancestors enacted or endured. In the United States, where we haven't overcome the ongoing effects of our history and some are working to erase it from our collective education altogether, intentionally learning about our nation's real story becomes even more essential. Reading books about history written by Black authors can help add important context to our world, as well as help contextualize systemic racism for those who are privileged enough not to experience its impact firsthand.

When most of us went through school, we learned history from a largely white-centric point of view. History is written by the winners, after all. The history of Black lives in the United States probably didn't feature heavily (if at all) in most of those lessons. But there's no time like the present to fill in the gaps. Here are a few of our favorite Black history books to add to your reading list.