There are black conservatives and liberals, socialists and free-marketeers, traditionalists and radicals, theists and atheists, everything in between, and more besides. FREE BLACK THOUGHT seeks to represent the rich diversity of black thought beyond the relatively narrow spectrum of views promoted by mainstream outlets as defining "the black perspective." You'll find the thinkers represented here to be frequently non-conforming, often provocative, sometimes contrarian, but always enriching.

"Listen to black voices" is a demand heard constantly these days.

But you would hardly guess from the black voices that are favored in mainstream venues—pushed by Amazon or adapted by HBO—just how wide the range of black thinking on matters of politics, society, and culture really is. We have nothing against these mainstream perspectives: indeed, they are crucial to the ongoing discussion about all the issues that matter to us. But we do not seek to represent them here. You know where to find them: just turn on CNN or open the New York Times.

Here, we uplift those black voices that are harder to hear against the background of media noise but whose message is just as or even more vital.

This site is a resource for those who are curious about those black voices. We have compiled a searchable, topically arranged bibliography of black thinkers outside the mainstream—a Compendium of FBT—including books, published essays, journal articles, and social media accounts. We also Tweet regularly, publish essays in our Journal of FBT, host an FBT YouTube channel, and maintain lists of essential podcasters/YouTubers and organizations we find important or merely interesting. If you’d like to share a resource with us, contact us and we’ll add it. Free your mind with FREE BLACK THOUGHT.