From a legendary Emmy Award–winning journalist comes a collection of ground-breaking reportage from across five decades, vividly chronicling the experience of Black life in America yesterday and today. “Charlayne Hunter-Gault is that rarest of historical figures. . . . The essays collected here affirm her status as one of the most consistently original, insightful, and passionate interpreters of both American and African society, politics, and culture. Her thoughtful reflections, delightfully written and deeply engaging, are a testament both to her unique position in the history of journalism and to her status as an acute and keen commentator, reminding us how and why ‘race matters.’ This book is a must-read for all students of race in our times.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.