Novelist and essayist Ernest Gaines weaves the powerful traditions of storytelling and oral history throughout his works. Accentuating Black life in the rural South, Gaines does not shy away from confronting the racial overtones of our collective history.

“Sometimes you got to hurt something to help something. Sometimes you have to plow under one thing in order for something else to grow.” – Ernest J. Gaines, A Gathering of Old Men 

We are proud to celebrate Black History Month in conjunction with Black Futures Month at HBW. Each day we will feature works from our archives that celebrate the glory that is #BlackExcellence and the Black freedom movement.