Zenell Brown
The 2026 National Black History Month theme is “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” This marks a significant milestone, with well over a hundred ways to celebrate and reflect. My preferred approach is a tapestry of history, literature, and art with Detroit as a meaningful part of the narrative.
Dr. Carter Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 and it has grown into our current observance of Black History throughout the month of February. Negro History Week was created during the Harlem Renaissance — my favorite historical period — a time of extraordinary cultural,
intellectual, and artistic flourishing that reshaped how Black life, identity, and contributions were seen and understood in America—emerging against the backdrop of a global pandemic and racial unrest, strikingly similar to what we recently experienced in 2020 to 2024.
The Harlem Renaissance was introduced to me in Advanced American History class, and it was the first expansive look I had into Black history beyond the Martin, Malcolm, and Rosa civil rights trinity. It was a full chapter in our textbooks and my first exposure to a collective of historical Black contributors and creators beyond slavery and civil rights.
For Black History Month, I am recommending two books set in that era and a thoughtful accompaniment of contemporary films, tours, and other curated experiences to fill the month of celebration.
The Harlem Renaissance era spanned 1919–1933 and reminds me in many ways of 2020 today, with the pandemic and genuine efforts to discuss and redefine race relationships.
“Harlem Rhapsody” written by New York Times bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray is historical fiction. It introduces a slew of historical figures such as W.E. DuBois, James Weldon (the co-writer of the Black National Anthem), and Jesse Redmond Fawcett, the protagonist of the novel.
Fawcett was the first Black person to graduate from Cornell University. She is credited as being the mid-wife of the Harlem Renaissance. The book offers a glimpse into the early days of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and shares the superman vision and the very human flaws of the legendary Dr. Du Bois. The book goes far more in depth than that single chapter in my history book, and I am wearing out Wikipedia learning more about people such as Nella Larsen, a librarian who encourages the main character that she needs to stop procrastinating and start writing her novel, and Sadie Tanner Mossell, a former student of Ms. Fawcett.
Larsen was posthumously inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame in 2022, and her second novel, “Passing,” later became a film streamed on Netflix. Tessa Thompson, who played the role of girlfriend and wife of Adonis Creed and now stars in the limited series “His and Hers” plays a main character in the film.
Sadie Tanner Mossell has an impressive resume as well: first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in economics; first Black woman to receive a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; first Black woman to practice law in Pennsylvania; and, the first national president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority (1919 to 1923).
And as a complement to this book, enjoy my favorite version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” sung acapella by Committed (https://youtu.be/ngFDy52eCZY).
Like today, the Harlem Renaissance was challenged by racial violence and unrest. In 1920, the Ku Klux Klan was at the height of its existence, but the racial hatred was not confined to the South. “Arc of Justice,” written by Kevin Doyle, is set in Detroit in 1925. In this historically accurate novel, Dr. Ossian Sweet, his wife, and ten other Black friends and relatives are charged with murder when a bullet fired from the Sweets’ home strikes and kills a white man. Dr. Sweet and his wife were moving into an all-white neighborhood when a white mob protested, pelting their home with rocks, bottles, and bricks. A brick came through the second floor window and a fatal shot was fired. Clarence Darrow, Judge Frank Murphy, and the NAACP entered center stage.
After reading this novel, I had the pleasure of attending the Detroit Bar Association’s lecture and book signing with the author, and I visited the memorial garden outside the home on Garland Street in January. There is a 30 minute documentary on youtube on my watch list this month: “The Chronicle of Ossian Sweet” ( https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GWqtqMLkR/?mibextid=wwXIfr).
Prior to the closing of the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, thousands of my colleagues walked past the Ossian Sweet Trial Legal Milestone. It reads in part:
“Presiding Judge Frank Murphy instructed the jury that “a man’s house is his castle” and that Dr. Sweet had the right to defend it if he had good reason to fear for the lives of his family or their property. These rights, he noted, belong to Black people as well as white people.”
Once installed at new Criminal Courthouse, you will have the opportunity to take the time read it in full.
Although both books can be purchased on line, it is Black History month and a trip to Source Booksellers, Detroit Book City, Nandi’s Knowledge Cafe, and Shrine of Madonna can be worthwhile field trips offering opportunities for engaging conversations and to more community events that bring Black history to life year-round. In that spirit, here is a start to a Centennial Black History Reading List for the Detroit legal community:
• “Let the Future Begin” by Dennis W. Archer
• “Your Honor, Your Honor” by Leonia J. Lloyd
• “The Triumph of Rosemary” by Marilyn Atkins
• “No Equal Justice: The Legacy of Civil Rights Icon George W. Crockett Jr.” by Edward Littlejohn and Peter J. Hammer
Every author listed has made a substantial contribution to the Detroit legal community, and their works deepen our understanding of Detroit’s legal tapestry and remind us that the pursuit of justice has always been shaped by courageous individuals whose stories deserve to be read, remembered, and shared.
Happy reading and happy Black History Month.
Dr. Carter Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 and it has grown into our current observance of Black History throughout the month of February. Negro History Week was created during the Harlem Renaissance — my favorite historical period — a time of extraordinary cultural,
intellectual, and artistic flourishing that reshaped how Black life, identity, and contributions were seen and understood in America—emerging against the backdrop of a global pandemic and racial unrest, strikingly similar to what we recently experienced in 2020 to 2024.
The Harlem Renaissance was introduced to me in Advanced American History class, and it was the first expansive look I had into Black history beyond the Martin, Malcolm, and Rosa civil rights trinity. It was a full chapter in our textbooks and my first exposure to a collective of historical Black contributors and creators beyond slavery and civil rights.
For Black History Month, I am recommending two books set in that era and a thoughtful accompaniment of contemporary films, tours, and other curated experiences to fill the month of celebration.
The Harlem Renaissance era spanned 1919–1933 and reminds me in many ways of 2020 today, with the pandemic and genuine efforts to discuss and redefine race relationships.
“Harlem Rhapsody” written by New York Times bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray is historical fiction. It introduces a slew of historical figures such as W.E. DuBois, James Weldon (the co-writer of the Black National Anthem), and Jesse Redmond Fawcett, the protagonist of the novel.
Fawcett was the first Black person to graduate from Cornell University. She is credited as being the mid-wife of the Harlem Renaissance. The book offers a glimpse into the early days of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and shares the superman vision and the very human flaws of the legendary Dr. Du Bois. The book goes far more in depth than that single chapter in my history book, and I am wearing out Wikipedia learning more about people such as Nella Larsen, a librarian who encourages the main character that she needs to stop procrastinating and start writing her novel, and Sadie Tanner Mossell, a former student of Ms. Fawcett.
Larsen was posthumously inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame in 2022, and her second novel, “Passing,” later became a film streamed on Netflix. Tessa Thompson, who played the role of girlfriend and wife of Adonis Creed and now stars in the limited series “His and Hers” plays a main character in the film.
Sadie Tanner Mossell has an impressive resume as well: first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in economics; first Black woman to receive a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; first Black woman to practice law in Pennsylvania; and, the first national president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority (1919 to 1923).
And as a complement to this book, enjoy my favorite version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” sung acapella by Committed (https://youtu.be/ngFDy52eCZY).
Like today, the Harlem Renaissance was challenged by racial violence and unrest. In 1920, the Ku Klux Klan was at the height of its existence, but the racial hatred was not confined to the South. “Arc of Justice,” written by Kevin Doyle, is set in Detroit in 1925. In this historically accurate novel, Dr. Ossian Sweet, his wife, and ten other Black friends and relatives are charged with murder when a bullet fired from the Sweets’ home strikes and kills a white man. Dr. Sweet and his wife were moving into an all-white neighborhood when a white mob protested, pelting their home with rocks, bottles, and bricks. A brick came through the second floor window and a fatal shot was fired. Clarence Darrow, Judge Frank Murphy, and the NAACP entered center stage.
After reading this novel, I had the pleasure of attending the Detroit Bar Association’s lecture and book signing with the author, and I visited the memorial garden outside the home on Garland Street in January. There is a 30 minute documentary on youtube on my watch list this month: “The Chronicle of Ossian Sweet” ( https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GWqtqMLkR/?mibextid=wwXIfr).
Prior to the closing of the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, thousands of my colleagues walked past the Ossian Sweet Trial Legal Milestone. It reads in part:
“Presiding Judge Frank Murphy instructed the jury that “a man’s house is his castle” and that Dr. Sweet had the right to defend it if he had good reason to fear for the lives of his family or their property. These rights, he noted, belong to Black people as well as white people.”
Once installed at new Criminal Courthouse, you will have the opportunity to take the time read it in full.
Although both books can be purchased on line, it is Black History month and a trip to Source Booksellers, Detroit Book City, Nandi’s Knowledge Cafe, and Shrine of Madonna can be worthwhile field trips offering opportunities for engaging conversations and to more community events that bring Black history to life year-round. In that spirit, here is a start to a Centennial Black History Reading List for the Detroit legal community:
• “Let the Future Begin” by Dennis W. Archer
• “Your Honor, Your Honor” by Leonia J. Lloyd
• “The Triumph of Rosemary” by Marilyn Atkins
• “No Equal Justice: The Legacy of Civil Rights Icon George W. Crockett Jr.” by Edward Littlejohn and Peter J. Hammer
Every author listed has made a substantial contribution to the Detroit legal community, and their works deepen our understanding of Detroit’s legal tapestry and remind us that the pursuit of justice has always been shaped by courageous individuals whose stories deserve to be read, remembered, and shared.
Happy reading and happy Black History Month.
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