(This article is a repost with minor edits and additional titles)
August is National Black Business Month! Supporting Black businesses is something we should aspire to do all year long. The Black business community can thank John William Templeton and Frederick E. Jordan Sr. for founding the monthly observation in 2004. Their purpose, besides to uplift, was to focus on the policies that guide the more than 2 million Black-led businesses throughout the United States. The books on this list include fiction and nonfiction titles about for-profit and nonprofit founders in various fields, from farming to fashion design. Several are by young entrepreneurs. There are also inspirational stories about entrepreneurs who prospered against all odds during slavery, Jim Crow, and civil rights eras. Pick up or pre-order a book or two for fun fiction reading or to learn about many great business leaders past and present. Also, writing is a business, so support Black authors! What entrepreneur are you most interested in learning more about—Augustus Jackson, Mae Reeves, Mikaila Ulmer? Leave a comment below!
BCBA is an Amazon and Bookshop Affiliate. Clicking on the book links will direct you away from this site, and BCBA may earn a small percentage on purchases.
1. Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better
Glenda Armand | Kim Freeman | Keith Mallett | Crown BYR | 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
2. Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book
Tonya Bolden | Eric Velasquez | Quill Tree Books | 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
3. Curve and Flow: The Story of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams
Andrea J. Loney | Keith Mallett | Knopf BYR | 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
4. More Than Peach: Changing the World One Crayon at a Time
Bellen Woodard | Fanny Liem | Scholastic Inc. | 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
5. Mae Makes a Way: The True Story of Mae Reeves, Hat and History Maker
Olugemisola Rhuday-Perkovich | Andrea Pippins | Crown BYR | 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
6. O.W. Gurley ( Leaders Like Us Series)
J. P. Miller | Amanda Quartey | Discovery Library | 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
7. Planting Peace: The Story of Wangari Maathai
Gwendolyn Hooks | Margaux Carpentier | Crocodile Books | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
8. Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book
Keila V. Dawson | Alleanna Harris | Beaming Books | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
9. Saving the Day: Garrett Morgan’s Life-Changing Invention of the Traffic Signal
Karyn Parsons | R. Gregory Christie | Little, Brown BYR | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
10. Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom
Connie Schofield-Morrison | Elizabeth Zunon | Holiday House | 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
11. Praline Lady
Kirstie Myvett | Kameko Madere | Pelican | 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
12. Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Tony Hillery | Jessie Hartland | Simon & Schuster/Wiseman | 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
13. Tiara’s Hat Parade
Kelly Starling Lyons | Nicole Tadgell | Albert Whitman | 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
14. Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon
Kelly Starling Lyons | Laura Freeman | Lee & Low | 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
15. Tallulah the Tooth Fairy CEO
Tamara Pizzoli | Federico Fabiani | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | BYR | 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
16. I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon
Miranda Paul | Baptiste Paul | Elizabeth Zunon | Millbrook Press | 2019 |PB | Amazon | Bookshop
17. Hammering for Freedom
Rita Lorraine Hubbard | John Holyfield | Lee & Low | 2018 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
18. No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas
Tonya Bolden | Don Tate | Knopf BYR | 2018 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
19. Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!
Andrea J. Loney | Keith Mallett | Lee & Low Books | 2017 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
20. Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Lashon Daley | Emile Henriquez | Pelican | 2016 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
21. The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson | R. Gregory Christie | Carolrhoda | 2015 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
22. Mary McLeod Bethune
Eloise Greenfield | Jerry Pinkney | HarperCollins | 1994 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
23. She Persisted: Oprah Winfrey
Renée Watson | Gillian Flint | Philomel Books | 2021 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
24. J.D. and the Family Business (J.D. the Kid Barber, Bk. 2)
J. Dillard | Akeem S. Roberts | Kokila | 2021 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop
25. Sophie Washington: Lemonade Day
Tonya Duncan Ellis | Page Turner Publishing | 2021 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
26. Make Your Own Money: How Kids Can Earn It, Save It, Spend It, and Dream Big
Ty Allan Jackson | Nicole Miles | Chp Bk | 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
27. All about Madam C. J. Walker
Lelia Bundles | Kirsten Halvorsen | Blue River Press | 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
28. Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid
Mikaila Ulmer | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR | MG | 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop
29. Overground Railroad (The Young Adult Adaptation): The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America
Candacy Taylor | Amulet Books | 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
30. Notes from a Young Black Chef (Adapted for Young Adults)
Kwame Onwuachi | Joshua David Stein | Delacorte | 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
31. Mo’s Bows: A Young Person’s Guide to Startup Success: Measure, Cut, Stitch Your Way to a Great Business
Moziah Bridges | Tramica Morris | Running Press Kids | YA | 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop
32. You Got This!: Unleash Your Awesomeness, Find Your Path, and Change Your World
Maya S. Penn | Gallery Books | YA | 2016 | Amazon | Bookshop
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