And Still I Rise: Black America Since MLK

by Henry Louis Gates Jr., Kevin M. Burke

The companion book to Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s PBS series, And Still I Rise—a timeline and chronicle of the past fifty years of black history in the U.S. in more than 350 photos




Beginning with the assassination of Malcolm X in February 1965, And Still I Rise: From Black Power to the White House explores the last half-century of the African American experience. More than fifty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the birth of Black Power, the United States has both a black president and black CEOs running Fortune 500 companies—and a large black underclass beset by persistent poverty, inadequate education, and an epidemic of incarceration. Harvard professor and scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. raises disturbing and vital questions about this dichotomy. How did the African American community end up encompassing such profound contradictions? And what will “the black community” mean tomorrow?

Gates takes readers through the major historical events and untold stories of the sixty years that have irrevocably shaped both the African American experience and the nation as a whole, from the explosive social and political changes of the 1960s, into the 1970s and 1980s—eras characterized by both prosperity and neglect—through the turn of the century to today, taking measure of such racial flashpoints as the Tawana Brawley case, OJ Simpson’s murder trial, the murders of Amadou Diallo and Trayvon Martin, and debates around the NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policies. Even as it surveys the political and social evolution of black America, And Still I Rise is also a celebration of the accomplishments of black artists, musicians, writers, comedians, and thinkers who have helped to define American popular culture and to change our world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Social Justice, Historical, Art

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. is a Professor of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. He is well-known as a literary critic, an editor of literature, and a proponent of black literature and black cultural studies.

Reviews

[David Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a great deal. You are sadly mistaken, if you believe the civil rights struggle is history. It is an ongoing story full of advances and relapses. This journal type of approach contained in the book proves it. There have been heroes and nemeses. Gates does an excellent job of chronicling.

[Kimberly Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really cool. I learned so much and found there is so so much more to learn. Heartbreaking but powerful, with gorgeous pictures.

[Kate O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

More like a reference book to keep at hand than a book that reads easily cover to cover, but what a reference book it is. It’s a juxtaposition of triumphant events alongside tragic events alongside more triumphant events and so on. Important context for anyone interested in Black American history — which should be anyone interested in American history at all.

[Kathrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chronology of black history in the USA between 1965 and 2015 this book covers a lot of ground and therefore is pretty dense. Still worth your time. I sure feel like a I learned a lot and my TBR has grown as well due to the many accomplishments by African American writers mentioned.

[Deena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your typical coffee table book. It is a treasure trove of Black history, a beautiful chronological timeline of events from 1965-2015, illustrated with gorgeous photos. I caught the PBS documentary with the same name last spring and loved it so much that we got the book as well. I had thumbed through it here and there, as one often does with a so-called coffee table book, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to read it cover to cover. I'm so glad I did. There is so much to digest and process, and although the short descriptions of events are surface-level (50 years of history condensed into 285 pages), reading this book reminded me of things I had learned before; pieced together some of the holes in my knowledge of Black history, and most importantly, gave me a long list of people and events I can't wait to learn more about, and books I want to read (some for the second time). This would make a great holiday season gift for anyone interested in Black history in the USA who wants to read a little bit here and there, each day, or even cover to cover.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most extraordinary thing for me about this book is the power of the chronology and the memorable photos that go with it throughout the narration. I realize with disturbing regularity, that events I thought had happened vaguely long before I was born, in fact have happened in my lifetime, many not far from the Canadian city where I was born. How did I not know of things happening in Detroit or Chicago or New York City when we were just hours or one hour away?
Henry Louis Gates Jr. has a talent for making things real and present in our minds, in our daily reality, and within the flow of recent history. Even without having seen the TV tie in, this book stands alone as an anchor and a guide. I was grateful to find a copy of it at my local library.

[Ben Bruster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A salient thumbnail sketch of African-American history, 1965-2015. Gates’ “And I Still Rise” charts 50 years of important cultural, social, and political events (and people) in not only African-American History, but American History as a whole. In doing so, he shows how, “Black culture is inextricably intertwined with American culture.”

As a whole, “And I Still Rise” serves as an important chronicle of recent African-American history. Yet, with its large size and yearly chapters, this work can feel more like a coffee table book than a page turner. Still, Gates’ prose reads well, and, with its content, this work deserves to be read.

I can’t wait to watch the eponymous documentary.

[Linda Rosche · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing compilation of events in America from 1965-2015 as they pertain to the civil rights and accomplishments of African Americans. Some of these I was painfully aware of. Some I was not, such as the fact that the comic book character, the Black Panther was introduced in July of 1966 (a minor event), or that Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was the Harvard professor reported by a passer by as attempting to break into his own home and was subsequently arrested and held for four hours in July 2009. A vivid reminder of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. And truly fitting that I finished this book as the nation celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Andrew Rothstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dear friend gave me this book. I have been working through it gradually. It is a chronology of important events in Black history since MLK through 2015. The events are mostly achievements of individuals, but many are historic events of both celebration and sadness. Many of the achievements are groundbreaking or "firsts". There are many in the fields of arts, sports, and politics. Understandably, there are some featuring the author.

It was uplifting to read these and I deeply appreciate my friends giving the book to me.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you review a chronology? I can start by saying that I am equally surprised by how many of the events are familiar to me (I was in high school at the beginning of this chronology.) and how many drew blanks for me (partially due to my relative indifference to music, film, TV, and popular culture over this span of years). It is noteworthy how many times what seemed to be potentially significant turning points for the race question faded in the face of inertia and indifference.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a 70 year old white man. I witnessed many of these historical events over the past 50 years. This book should be a mandatory reading in all of our high schools. It’s important that the current and future generations understand the sacrifices, progress, and remaining shortfalls of social justice. Thank you to all that suffered and protested to make this world a better place for my children and grandchildren.

[Anna Amato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't own a coffee table but if I did this book would be on it. I really don't like coffee table books so this is more an end table book; one you put a marker in and read a little every night. There is so much to digest. This is a history book but it is the history of our generation. I'd forgotten so many of the truly important events of our lives. Thank you Dr. Gates.

[Justlesa Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

So informative and I learned so many new things.

[Loredana Agavriloaei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a phenomenal women!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of covering the major events and people associated with African American history from 1965 to 2015.

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense on the text and light in the pictures, this was a good source for snippets of history. Good mix of politics and culture.

[Vincent]

I have mixed feelings on this because it’s a good introductory text but it doesn’t really offer any in depth nor quality information.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a great anthology for the History of African American lives after the death of MLK and the end the of Civil Rights Movement. Often in the context of African American history, the story really starts and ends with the decade of the Civil Rights Movement. But in this sense, we seen how African American life thrived and also the the issues that still plague our community. I think most importantly, it gives a modern day account of the way African Americans continue to pioneer and change the landscape of America. But often how American has overlooked how African Americans have continued and still continue to shape the landscape of American society and culture.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! In light of recent events (plus Martin Luther King Jr. Day coming up) this seemed like a good book to read. I have not watched the PBS show (this book is the companion) but this is not hard to follow. It's a beautiful book that highlights some important events in African American history. It's told in chronological order (as it says on the cover) with major dates and the important events on that day (sometimes longer depending on what happened). Each event gets at least a paragraph with some events getting longer explanations.
 
There are many pictures of people, events, art, etc. It's an easy to follow book but highly informative as well. Many events are probably at least very basic knowledge but there's definitely a lot in here that doesn't get covered well (at all in some cases) in the media, school, etc. However it's not just major historical/political events but popular culture including acting, music, sports, etc.
 
I can understand some of the criticisms: it's a focus on events and names you "know" like MLK or Maya Angelou or Barack Obama or Beyoncé, etc. There are tons of names, people, groups, organizations, etc. that don't get mentioned much (or at all) and that's an understandable dislike. However, since this is a companion piece to the PBS project it doesn't surprise me that it highlights certain information to be as accessible as possible to the audience. I learned quite a bit and will say it makes me sad how much of this was completely missing from my own formal education when I was younger.
 
That said, it's a great book. I may feel differently if I had seen the show on TV (as in, I might have I was duplicating my media consumption) but I'm glad I found a way to access this work as the DVD version is not available at my library OR at Netflix (yet). I thought it's definitely worth reading and might make a fantastic addition to a classroom/school library, especially if it is used in conjunction with showing its video counterpart.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An actual timeline style chronology

Of Black America from 1965-2105. Gates is a good writer, as you’d expect from a Harvard professor. The events and trends he expounds on are interesting - and some of the events are probably not super well known amongst the general public.

My only minor quibble is that there are a few places where Gates seems to sidestep troubling aspects of a person or event. One example - when dealing with the Mumia Abu Jamal case, he downplays that Jamal almost certainly did kill the police officer for which he was sentenced to death.

Overall, a good book with an interesting style.

[Karen Ashmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of documentary Eyes on the Prize but included art, business and sports in addition to civil rights landmarks. More of a reference book. I remembered almost all the people and events cited. Enjoyed looking at all the pictures too.

[V Massaglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. Thanks for this gift Dr. Gates & Dr. Burke. It brought back some very good memories as well as some stressful ones.

V

[Whitney Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be fascinating - so many events I had never heard before.

[Marilyn]

I bought this on 24 Mar 2025 at Half Price Books for $12.99.

Goes day by day explaining history from
1965 - 2015