In the preface to this book, Lerone Bennett Jr. explains his intentions: “This is an essay towards a new understanding of the long and continuing attempts of Africans and African descendants to possess themselves and the new land….I have been interested here in the forces and events that made black America what it is today. And since black America was of central importance in the shaping of white America, I have dealt at some length with some of the forgotten pages of white and [Indigenous] history.”

“There is no final chapter. The final chapter is being written by men, women, and children who are groping for new directions in one of history’s hard places.”

“In 1974, the Johnson Publishing Company commissioned White to produce the cover image and chapter-opening illustrations for Lerone Bennett Jr.’s landmark publication, The Shaping of Black America (1975). This project was a summary of White’s steadfast commitment to communicating with the public about the matters that most concerned him: the legacies of racism and oppression, the nobility and aspirations of ordinary people, the heroes who fought for freedom and equality, and the accomplishments of Black Americans.” (text from Charles White: A Little Higher exhibit, Cincinnati Art Museum, Nov 2023- Feb 2024)

About the Discussion Facilitators:
Anne Buening is Secretary of the Board of the Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. She is also Curatorial Assistant at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Kareem Simpson is the Duncanson Program Manager at the Taft Museum of Art. He is also an author, artist, veteran, community enthusiast and creative.