New Book: Covenant with Black America

Posted by on November 24, 2006

It is not easy selling serious books?especially ones that are focused on policy issues, targeted to an African American audience, and have little money for traditional marketing efforts. But in a stunning departure from conventional publishing industry wisdom, The Covenant with Black America has appeared on bestseller lists across the country, reaching number one on the New York Times, Washington Post, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution lists, as well as on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com top-seller rankings.

One of the essays in the book was written by PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell, who also collaborated with editor Tavis Smiley on developing and planning the book?s content. She writes about ensuring broad access to affordable housing. Other authors and essays include Former Surgeon General David M. Satcher, on securing the right to healthcare and well-being; National Urban League President Mark Morial, on accessing good jobs, wealth, and economic prosperity; and Robert Bullard, Director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center, on assuring environmental justice for all. Other issues discussed are education, civil rights, the justice system, community centered policing, closing the digital divide, and the needs of African Americans in rural areas. The book is introduced by Tavis Smiley, includes a statement of purpose by Marian Wright Edelman, and concludes with a call to action from Cornel West. Each of the book?s ten sections is a covenant focusing on a particular issue area and describing what individuals can do, what some communities are doing, and what leaders and elected officials ought to do to advance equity and opportunity for African Americans.

The idea for The Covenant with Black America grew out of a 2005 conversation during the State of the Black Union, the annual symposium hosted by Tavis Smiley that features prominent African Americans discussing issues related to the black community. Angela Glover Blackwell, a guest on the program, offered to assist the effort by supplying information, data, and policy analysis and helping identify and reach out to essay authors. Some 2,000 black people made small contributions to support the book (their names are listed in the back), which was published by Third World Press. The Covenant with Black America was released at the 2006 State of the Black Union and immediately began attracting a huge audience. Appearances by Tavis Smiley in several cities helped spread the word about the covenant, and the sale of over 300,000 copies demonstrates the hunger among African Americans for strategies to achieve economic and social equity.

To learn more about The Covenant with Black America, view upcoming book tour dates, and get involved with its action agenda, visit http://www.covenantwithblackamerica.com.

To read Angela Glover Blackwell?s essay and link to the PolicyLink publications that are most closely aligned with the covenants, click here.
http://www.policylink.org/CommonAgenda/