Unerased launches Power Read 25 to center Black women in America’s story

Unerased | Black Women Speak has launched Power Read 25, a national reading and civic engagement initiative built around 25 biographies by and about Black women. The project responds to the NEA’s Big Read 250 list and aims to broaden public understanding of American history ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Why it matters: - Power Read 25 aims to widen the national reading list ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary by centering Black women’s lives, leadership and cultural impact. - The initiative is designed to help readers understand American history as incomplete without the experiences and contributions of Black women. - Unerased | Black Women Speak is also using the project to expand civic engagement through libraries, classrooms, book clubs and other community partners.

What happened: - Unerased | Black Women Speak launched Power Read 25, a national civic engagement and reading initiative. - The project was announced July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. - Power Read 25 features 25 biographies written by and about Black women. - The list is intended to prompt communities to read, discuss and reflect on the people whose lives shaped democracy, imagination and the future. - The launch followed the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read 250 initiative, which is tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. - Unerased created its own reading initiative after the NEA list of 24 titles included no Black women authors.

The details: - The inaugural titles span more than two centuries of American life. - The list covers enslaved resistance, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, civil rights, the Black Power movement and contemporary leadership. - Well-known figures on the list include Harriet Tubman and Zora Neale Hurston. - The project also highlights women who have remained largely outside the public imagination. - Unerased says the 25 titles together offer a fuller portrait of America. - Additional companion titles are included to encourage literacy among young readers. - A 10-member advisory committee helped shape the selection process. - The committee evaluated books for literary quality, historical significance, diversity of experience and potential to spark public engagement. - Public recommendations also informed the final list. - The advisory committee included Summer Tate, a Howard University Ph.D. candidate and scholar of African American literature; Cassandra Brown, a Florida voting rights advocate and cofounder of All About the Ballots; and Marcia Davis, an award-winning journalist and former Washington Post and NPR editor.

Between the lines: - The project functions as both a corrective and a public-facing response to exclusion from a major national reading program. - Gwen McKinney, founder of Unerased | Black Women Speak, said the organization chose to “unerase” the omission rather than simply protest it. - Marita Golden, an acclaimed author and Hurston/Wright Foundation co-founder, framed the effort as a chance to spotlight overlooked stories and introduce new subjects, titles and authors. - The selection mix suggests an effort to balance canonical figures with lesser-known women who helped shape U.S. history.

What’s next: - Unerased is seeking activation partners, including individuals, libraries, classrooms, literary groups and book clubs, to extend the project’s reach. - The organization says the full Power Read 25 list and additional details are available online. - Media interviews, photo opportunities and select on-site access to Power Read 25 events are available upon request. - Unerased | Black Women Speak plans to continue its public engagement and community-centered programming around Black women’s stories.

The bottom line: - Power Read 25 is both a reading list and a statement: Black women’s histories belong at the center of the American story.