A book is a jewel to the past and present. It captures the breadth and depth of the human spirit. My collection displays the reason for the story, for the celebration of what has been, and is that the journey continues. The journey of African Americans can also bee seen as a powerful journey.

I started collecting books in 1992, after taking an Integrative Arts & Humanities course with Professor Darlene Clark Hine. The course's focus was on "Modern Black America." Not realizing what I had encountered, I found myself wandering into an array of bookstores searching for books on Black people. Professor hine told the students that it was important to collect works on the lives of Black people. Hine stated that it was rare to have Black books on the shelves of mainstream bookstores; if they existed, the selection tended to be very slim. Therefore, it is crucial to buy and collect books on the lives of Black people. In this, we can pass our knowledge to future generations and to other cultures.

My collection extends from the 18th century to the present. The collection presented is a small selection which comprises three hundred plus books. From history to hair, this collection covers a wide spectrum of areas in the lives of Black people. I thank Professor Hine for showing me the way.

Angelou, Maya. The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou. New York: Random House, Inc., 1994. This book is a first edition. All of Maya Angelou's poetry appears in this volume up to the year 1994.

Campbell, BeBe Moore. Your Blues Ain't Like Mine. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992. This signed book has appeared on the New York Times best seller's list.

Carroll, Rebecca. I Know What the Red Clay Looks Like: The Voice and Vision of Black Women Writers. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1994. This book is a first edition, signed by the author. It is about Black female writers who discuss issues about race, gender, and their craft.

Carson, Clayborne, Senior Editor. The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Volume I: Called to Serve. January 1929 - June 1951. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. This book is a first edition, signed by the senior editor. It contains the speeches, letters, and thoughts of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Davis-Adeshote, Jeanette. Black Survival in White America: From Past to the Next Century. New jersey: Bryant and Dillion Publisher, Inc., 1995. This book is a first edition, signed by the author. It is a guide to uplift the Black race.

Goings, Kenneth. Mammy and Uncle Mose: Black Collectibles and American Stereotyping. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994. This is a first edition, signed by the author. This is the first book written on the issue of stereotyping Black people.

Graham, Lawrence Otis. The Best Companies for Minorities: Employers Across America Who Recruit, Train, and Promote Minorities. New York: Plume, 1993. This book is a first edition, signed by the author. It is a resource guide for minorities who are in search of finding a job in corporate America.

Hine, Darlene Clark, Elsa Barkley Brown and Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, editors. Black Women in America: an Historical Encyclopedia. New York: Carlson Publishing Inc., 1993. Two Volumes A - Z. These encyclopedias are first edition, signed by the senior editor, Darlene Clark Hine. This two volume set is now out of print for the cloth edition.

Hine, Darlene Clark. Speak Truth to Power: Black Professional Class in United States History. New York: Carlson Publishing Inc., 1996. This is a first edition, signed book. It is significant, in that my name appears in the acknowledgment page of the book.

Johnson, Venice, editor. Voices of the dream: African-American Women Speak. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1995. This is a first edition book. It is a little jewel of affirmations, words of inspirations and truth by African American women.

King, Wilma. Stolen Childhood: Slave Youth in Nineteenth-Century America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. This is a first edition, signed book. It is significant, in that Wilma King is a professor in the history department, here at Michigan State University.

LaBelle, Patti with Laura B. Randolph. Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime. New York: Riverhead Books, 1996. This is a first edition of the grammy award winning singer. It became a best seller after an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Laird, Roland Owen with Taneshia Nash Laird. Still I Rise: A Cartoon History of African Americans. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc., 1997. This is a first edition book. The significance of this book is that it reads like an ongoing comic strip. It covers the periods from 1618 to 1997.

Marsalis, Wynton. Marsalis On Music. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc., 1995. This is a first edition book. It served as a companion to the PBS series on music. It also has a CD attached to enjoy the music from the session with Wynton Marsalis.

Mashburn, J.L. Black Americana Postcard Price Guide: A Century of History Preserved on Postcards. North Carolina: Colonial House, 1996. This book is a first edition. It is an unusual historical book about Black postcards, most of which depict negative images of African Americans.

McMillan, Terry. Mama. New York: Pocket Star Books, 1987. This edition of Terry McMillan's works is the first pocket books mass-market printing, January 1994. It is signed by the author. It is also significant because it reads: "Happy Birthday Marshanda", signed Terry McMillan.

McMillan, Terry. Waiting to Exhale. New York: Pocket Star Books, 1992. This edition is a first pocket star printing, 1993. It is signed by the author. This book was made into a motion picture and was number one on the best seller's list.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970. This is a copy of Toni Morrison's first book. It is one of the books in a special slipcased edition: Nobel Prize Set, February 1994.

Morrison, Toni. Sula. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974. This is one of the books in a special slipcased edition: Nobel Prize Set, February 1994.

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977. This is one of the books in a special slipcased edition: Nobel Prize Set, February 1994. It is significant for it's rebirth, following it's appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show as the book club selection of the month. It is still on the best seller's list.

Morrison, Toni. Tar Baby. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1981. This is one of the books in a special slipcased edition: Nobel Prize Set, February 1994.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. This is one of the books in a special slipcased edition: Nobel Prize Set, February 1994. It is significant for winning Toni Morrison the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Oprah Winfrey has bought the rights to the book to make a made-for-TV movie.

Morrison, Toni. Jazz. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. This is one of the books in a special slipcased edition: Nobel Prize Set, February 1994.

Myers, Walter Dean. One More River to Cross: An African American Photograph Album. New York: Harcourt Brace Company, 1995. It is a first edition book. It is significant for the pictures, which goes back to the days of slavery to the year 1995.

Pearson, Hugh. The Shadow of the Panther: Huey Newton and the Price of Black Power in America. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1994. This second edition book deals with the Black Panther Party and leaders.

Reed, Harry. Platform for Change: The Foundations of the Northern Free Blacks Community, 1775-1865. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1994. This is the only edition of the book. It is signed by the author. The significance is that Reed is a Michigan State University History Professor.

Riley, Dorothy Winbush, editor. My Soul Looks Back 'Les I Forget: A Collection of Quotations by People of Color. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc., 1991. This is a first edition book of quotations by a host of African Americans.

Ross, Diana. Secrets of a Sparrow: Memoirs. New York: Villard Books, 1993. This is a first edition of Diana Ross' book. It was a very controversial book about the author's life and musical career with the Supremes.

Sinette, Elinor Des Verney, W. Paul Coatez and Thomas C. Battle, editors. Black Bibliophiles and Collectors: Preservers of Black History. Washington, DC: Howard University Press, 1990. This book is a first edition, signed by the senior editor, Elinor Des Verney Sinette. It is an essential book on collecting and preserving Black historical documents.

Smitherman, Geneva. Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. This book is a first, signed edition. The significance is that the author is a Michigan State University Distinguished Professor of English.

Sterling, Dorothy, editor. We Are Your Sisters: Black women in the Nineteenth Century. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1984. This is a first edition book. It is excellent for a course on Black women's history during the 19th century.

Thomas, June Manning. Redevelopment and Race: A Finer City in Postwar Detroit. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. This is a first edition, signed copy of the book. It is significant in that Thomas is a Michigan State University Professor and the Director of the Urban Planning Program.

Thomas, Velma Maia. Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation. New York: Crown Publishers, 1997. This is a first edition book. It is very unusual for the three-dimensional images. It is an interactive book.

Thornton, Yvonne S., M.D., as told to Jo Coudert. The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story. New York: Carol Publishing Group, 1996. This is a first edition. It is significant because it was made into a made-for-TV movie. I also met Dr. Yvonne Thornton on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Valade, Roger M., III. The Essential Black Literature Guide. Published in Association with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. This is a first edition book. Its significance lies within the two hundred years of literature produced by Blacks.

Walker, Andre and Teresa Wiltz. Andre Talks Hair!: With a Special Message From Oprah Winfrey. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997. This is a first edition of Andre Walker's book. He is the hair-stylist for talkshow host Oprah Winfrey.

Walker, Margaret. Margaret Walker's 'For My People': A Tribute. Photographs by Roland L. Freeman. Mississippi: University of Mississippi, 1992. This is a first edition book, signed by author and photographer.

Warren, Gwendolin Sims. Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit: 101 Best-Loved Psalms, Gospel Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the African-American Church. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997. This is a first edition book. It traces Black Sacred music from slavery to the present.

Hine, Darlene Clark and Kathleen Thompson. A Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black Women in America. New York: Broadway Books, 1998. It is very significant in that it is written by an African American woman and a Caucasian woman. It is the newest book on the market about Black women. It is a first edition, signed book. It is co-authored by Darlene Clark Hine, MSU's John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of History.

Morrison, Toni. Paradise. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998. This is a first edition of the Nobel Prize Winner's book. It is significant because it became an instant best seller, it is the selected book for Oprah Winfrey's book club for February. This is the first book written by Morrison since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.