The original organizers of Earth Day, celebrated in the United States on April 22nd every year since 1970 and globally since the 1990s, were inspired by the campus teach-ins and demonstrations of the 1960s. The first Earth Day consisted of protests held across the United States with the goal of raising awareness to protect the planet from deadly pollution and environmental degradation.

The second year of the global pandemic was not without its challenges, but 2021 also brought extraordinary recognition of The New Press’s mission of publishing books that promote and enrich public discussion and understanding of the issues vital to our democracy and to a more equitable world.

Earlier this month the Swedish Academy announced Abdulrazak Gurnah as this year's winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, making Gurnah the first Black African writer to win the most esteemed prize in international literature since Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka won in 1986. The Nobel Prize in Literature is open to authors from around the globe, awarded for a body of outstanding work in any language.

The traditional construction of gender is one of the pillars of a capitalist society.

The original organizers of Earth Day, celebrated in the United States on April 22nd every year since 1970 and globally since the 1990s, were inspired by the campus teach-ins and demonstrations of the 1960s. The first Earth Day consisted of protests held across the United States with the goal of raising awareness to protect the planet from deadly pollution and environmental degradation. Decades later, we are facing a climate emergency that touches all our lives and exacerbates nearly every major social inequity.

Black women have been at the forefront of movements for justice and liberation for centuries—though their histories and voices have often been overlooked. As we continue to reflect on the lessons of this Women’s History Month, we’re presenting this list of landmark reading by Black women.

Designed for activists, educators, students, and anyone looking to learn how inequality and injustice is woven tightly into American culture, these groundbreaking voices inspire transformation.