African American issues

English professor Arnold Rampersad. He's just edited a new edition of the works of black writer Richard Wright. Wright's novel, "Native Son," was a breakthrough in African American literature when it was published in 1940. It also turns out many scenes dealing with the sexual activities of the main character were removed, to make the novel more palatable to Book Month Club subscribers. Those cuts have been restored in this new edition (by The Library of America).

Writer Jake Lamar. In his new memoir, "Bourgeois Blues," Lamar examines the issue of race in his life, and in American society. (published by Summit Books).

Author and Educator and activist Jonathan Kozol.

Author Shelby Steele. Steele's best-selling book, "The Content of Our Character," is a personal analysis of racism in America. Steele says it's time Blacks in America stopped using racial victimization as a crutch and started to rely on their own efforts to gain access to the mainstream. (It's newly published in paperback by Harper).

Stephen Carter, who's written the book "Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby" (Basic Books) has led a privileged and fortunate life, growing up in a professional black family, attending Ivy League schools and subsequently becoming one of the youngest tenured law professors in Yale University's history. But Carter has also weathered academic and professional experiences in which he was pigeonholed and patronized on account of his race.

Writer Carole Ione. She's written a new memoir of her foremothers, "Pride of the Family: Four Generations of American Women of Color." (Published by Summit Books). It tells the stories of her mother, a journalist, her great-auntie Sistonie, one of the first black women doctors in Washington, D.C., her grandmother Be-Be a vaudeville dancer and later soul food restaurant owner, and her great-grand-mother, Frances Anne "Frank" Rollin Whipper.

First-time film director John Singleton. His new film is "Boyz N the Hood," which is set in South Central L.A. where Singleton grew up. A number of theatres across the country have cancelled the showing of "Boyz N the Hood," because of violent outbreaks at or near theatres where its been shown. Over 30 people have been injured and one killed. But the film itself is plea to stop the violence and killing.

Journalist Alex Kotlowitz won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for a series of articles he wrote for the Wall Street Journal chronicling the lives of two children in a housing project in Chicago. He's expanded those articles into the new book, "There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up In the Other America."

Ringgold combines painting and quilt making to create brightly colored and patterned story pictures. She lives in Harlem and teaches half the year at the University of California at San Diego. She's just completed a picture book for children, "Tar Beach," inspired by her story quilt of the same name.

Peebles is the son of the legendary director Melvin Van Peebles. His film New Jack City is set in Harlem, and features a grim, gritty, and violent world of crack dealers and users.