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The life of a nation is told by the lives of its people
- Over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars
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What's new
What’s new: September 2024
The ANB September 2024 update features 32 revised and updated essays and 32 retrospective images.
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Shirley Graham
Shirley Graham (1896–1977) was an award-winning playwright, musical director, author, and political activist. Graham forced change in opera and drama, opening both to a bold African American perspective. She also wrote biographies to introduce young people to notable African Americans who—at the time she was writing in the mid-twentieth century—were not necessarily among the canonical figures of the country's history. Although she was overshadowed in her later years by being the spouse of W. E. B. Du Bois, she continued her life’s work as an important and influential writer and liberation activist.
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