DK Books

Writer of the foreword, Mireille Harper, loved listening to the empowering stories of inspirational Black People that her mother told her growing up. But where are these people in most mainstream or school history books? Erased, ignored, forgotten, omitted?

This important book seeks to begin to redress the imbalance in written history, where very often, significant contributions by black men and women have been overlooked and marginalised.

Through vibrantly designed and graphically stunning double-page timeline spreads, we learn about inspiring, powerful, talented and world-changing figures such as Mansa Musa, Taytu Betul, Mary Seacole and Nelson Mandella. We meet inspirational black men and women from the fields of music, dance, engineering, mathematics, politics and sport, as well as Ancient African rulers and present day activists.

The journey of the US Civil Rights Movement is portrayed over several pages through the book – from those who spent their lives working to abolish slavery, through to Martin Luther King Junior and today’s activists who continue the fight for Black Lives Matter. We also learn how gifted writers such as Maya Angelou and Stormzy have used their creative voices to highlight injustice and inspire change.

We travel around the world – from African Empires, to the Caribbean, the USA and the UK – learning about the lives and values of these significant individuals. Each fascinating double page timeline is completely different in design, and through facts, quotes and images, marks key aspects of each person’s life story, shows their success and resilience in the face of adversity and demonstrates their enduring legacy.