The dynamic course of Afro-American literature from oppression through protest to liberation is depicted in the anthology. Long and Collier have added contemporary writers, introductions, and head notes to make this the most comprehensive, up-to-date anthology available. From Phillis Wheatley to Alice Walker and Gwendolyn Brooks, from Booker T. Washington to Martin Luther King and Amiri Baraka, the Afro-American writers are represented here.