I Am the Darker Brother An Anthology of Modern Poems by African Americans

This honest and poignant young adult poetry collection addresses many different experiences of what it means to be black.

The quintessential African American, a proud, lonely, vulnerable yet independent human being who has forged out of hardship that combination of endurance, understanding, and spirit called soul. This illustrated book collects poems by Langston Hughes, Mari Evans, Gwendolyn Brooks, Robert Hayden, and many more.

Arnold Adoff is an American children’s writer. In 1988, the National Council of Teachers of English gave Adoff the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. He has said, “I will always try to turn sights and sounds into words. I will always try to shape words into my singing poems.”

Benny Andrews (1930–2006) was an American artist, activist and educator. Born in Plainview, Georgia, Andrews earned a BFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1958, and soon after moved to New York. He was known for his expressive, figurative paintings that often incorporated collaged fabric and other material.