By Senior Editor Leslie Quander Wooldridge December 17, 2021
For instance, in its 2020 analysis of books released by prolific publishing houses, the New York Times found that while “non-Hispanic white people account for 60 percent of the U.S. population; in 2018, they wrote 89 percent of the books in [the] sample.” The analysis also confirmed the heads of the “big five” publishing houses were white, noting this was “likely linked” to the imbalance.
Enter Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, founded in 1986 to “specialize in the works of authors who honor and consecrate the memory of those who fought — and continue to fight — for freedom.”
As Amistad celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2021 as “the oldest imprint devoted to titles for the African American market at any major New York publishing house,” it has helped Black writers share their voices and find and empower audiences. And, as a Black woman, vice president and editorial director Tracy Sherrod continues to lead Amistad, which has released titles like Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston, Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson, and even Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey.
Read the article HERE.