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UNSUNG: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition

UNSUNG: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition

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To view the online book launch event again on Schomburg Center's Livestream channel, click UNSUNG. 

A new historical anthology from transatlantic slavery to the Reconstruction curated by the Schomburg Center, that makes the case for focusing on the histories of Black people as agents and architects of their own lives and ultimate liberation. Edited by the Schomburg Center's Michelle Commander, with a foreword by former director Kevin Young. 

This is the first Penguin Classics anthology published in partnership with the Schomburg Center, a world-renowned cultural institution documenting black life in America and worldwide. A historic branch of The New York Public Library located in Harlem, the Schomburg holds one of the world's premiere collections of slavery material within the Lapidus Center for Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery. 

Unsung will place well-known documents by abolitionists alongside lesser-known life stories and overlooked or previously uncelebrated accounts of the everyday lives and activism that were central in the slavery era, but that are mostly excised from today's master accounts. Unsung will also highlight related titles from founder Arturo Schomburg's initial collection: rare histories and first-person narratives about slavery that assisted his generation in understanding the roots of their contemporary social struggles. Unsung will draw from the Schomburg's rich holdings in order to lead a dynamic discussion of slavery, rebellion, resistance, and anti-slavery protest in the United States. 

View select books for purchase on the UNSUNG recommended reading list, Exploring Slavery and Memory in the United States.  

About the Authors 

Michelle Commander is Associate Director and Curator of the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the Schomburg Center. She is the author of Afro-Atlantic Flight: Speculative Returns and the Black Fantastic and Avidly Reads Passages. 

Kevin Young is Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and previous past director of the Schomburg Center. He is also Poetry Editor for the New Yorker. His most recent book of poetry, Brown, and his nonfiction book Bunk, were both named New York Times Notable Books and longlisted for the National Book Award. Bunk was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. 

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research division of The New York Public Library,  features diverse programming and collections spanning over 11 million items that illuminate the richness of global Black history, arts, and culture. 

Product Details

  • Language: : English
  • Paperback : 656 pages
  • Item Weight : 1.01 pounds
  • Dimensions : 5.04 x 1.02 x 7.71 inches